Pubdate: Thu, 6 Jun 2002 Source: Lexington Herald-Leader (KY) Copyright: 2002 Lexington Herald-Leader Contact: http://www.kentucky.com/mld/heraldleader/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/240 Author: Steve Bailey, Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) 'POOR MAN'S COCAINE' IS NO. 1 RURAL DRUG ISSUE Methamphetamine Rampant Kentucky's methamphetamine problem will continue to grow unless the battle is intensified at the local level, state and federal officials said yesterday. "All of the federal resources we receive are a huge help in our continuing fight against methamphetamine," said Steve Pence, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. "But we also have to have state law enforcement and local sheriff's offices and police departments and even the residents in high-intensity communities participate at increasing levels if we really want to get a handle on this." According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine has become the No. 1 drug problem facing rural America, rivaling club drugs like Ecstasy and cocaine in the nation's urban centers and crack cocaine in the Northeast. Some call meth the poor man's cocaine because it is a highly addictive stimulant that produces a euphoria similar to cocaine, but lasts longer -- six to eight hours, compared with 20 minutes to an hour for cocaine. Since it can be produced simply using a number of easily obtained ingredients, including cold medicine and lithium batteries, illegal production laboratories frequently pop up in homes as well as motels, vans and back-yard sheds. Production and use of methamphetamine has skyrocketed during the past several years throughout the Midwest, including Kentucky. Last year, 160 clandestine meth labs were raided by law enforcement agencies in Kentucky, more than double the number in 2000. Although Kentucky's methamphetamine problem first emerged in the western part of the state, it has steadily moved east and is beginning to catch OxyContin, a powerful pain-killer prescribed for cancer patients, as a drug of choice among residents. "It's simple to make, and the potential for profit for those who produce the drug is hard to pass up, especially for those in the poorer sections of Eastern Kentucky," said Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. "Only $75 worth of meth ingredients yield more than $200 in profit. On the OxyContin side, a $100 doctor visit and a $200 prescription can bring in more than $10,000. That's a pretty good return on an investment." "Methamphetamine certainly is a significant problem in Kentucky and is continuing to expand as a significant problem in the United States," DEA Administrator Asa Hutchinson said. "There was a 100 percent increase in the number of meth labs seized in Kentucky during the past two years. That reflects a serious problem, but also reflects effective law enforcement work and community support in addressing the problem." Hutchinson, in Lexington to speak at a two-day summit on fighting methamphetamine and OxyContin abuse, said he plans to visit cities in 32 states in an effort to inform communities of the dangers inherent in meth production and use. "We have had significant amounts of success when it comes to fighting overall drug use in this country," he said. "We've reduced overall drug use by 50 percent in the last 20 years. "But there is still danger lurking in the heartland of America, and that is the danger posed by methamphetamine. We're asking businesses, educators, community leaders and policy-makers to ask themselves what more they can do to help fight this problem." Hutchinson said the DEA has trained more than 130 Kentucky police officers, at a cost of more than $2,000 per officer, and has provided more than $250,000 in equipment to state law enforcement agencies to aid the fight against methamphetamine. "But more has to be done because there is a double hit in Kentucky," he said. "In addition to the lab problem here, a lot of methamphetamine comes across the United States from California and makes its way through and into Kentucky." Despite all of the federal help and monetary aid the state has received, it's going to take a larger commitment from people in law enforcement, prosecutors' offices, in the health and social services fields and from the residents themselves to curb the problem, Pence said. "It's a problem that's not just a law enforcement problem," he said. "It's a problem we have to take into the places where the meth is being produced and sold. We have to make people aware of how significant the problem really is and get them involved in trying to stop it." Hutchinson said the FBI's recent decision to reallocate many of its agents and resources to fight the ongoing war on terrorism will not hinder the nation's fight against illicit drug use. "There will be an impact, no doubt," he said. "But the DEA is developing a plan that will reallocate our resources and help fill the gap that is left by the FBI's reorganization." - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager