Editor's note: This is the last in a series of the impact of meth in Albert Lea and Freeborn County. Methamphetimine use takes good people and makes them unscupulous, but officials insist it is the drug's hold that turns good people bad. "We're dealing with people making bad decisions," said Freeborn County Sheriff Mark Harig. "By the time we see them, we don't see the goodness anymore; we see the paranoia - the drug's hold on them." [continues 687 words]
Even as her son lay in the hospital fighting for his life after smoking meth, Sandy denied that methamphetamine could grab her family - - she had done all a mother could do to protect her brood from its ugly clutches. "I put all the safety mechanisms in place," she said. "I worked nights so I could be home with the kids, I attended their school conferences, supervised their homework, talked with them, everything." Even the doctor's assessment couldn't shake her belief: "I thought the tests were wrong," she said. "This isn't possible, not my son." [continues 784 words]
The Tribune staff hopes you are finding the meth series informative. We've received only a few e-mails and calls on the series - mostly outraged that we printed the list of ingredients used to manufacture the highly-addictive drug - and only one comment about the photo used to launch the series last Tuesday. To be honest, I expected more calls of outrage on both. The lack of calls can indicate two things - people realize the value of printing such information, or they are too shocked for words. Personally, I like to think it's the former. [continues 706 words]
A drug clean up law could take affect in early 2004 if Otter Tail County Commissioners approve the wording as presented by the Public Health Department Wednesday. The clean up of clandestine drug lab sites ordinance is designed to protect residents from health risks associated with the production of illicit drugs such as meth, and outlines the county's plan to reduce those risks. A clandestine drug lab operation is the unlawful manufacture of a controlled substance within any structure, vehicle or appliance, and cleanup means the proper removal of any substances hazardous to humans and the environment, according to the ordinance. [continues 196 words]
