Pubdate: Sat, 06 Dec 2003 Source: News & Observer (NC) Copyright: 2003 The News and Observer Publishing Company Contact: http://www.news-observer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/304 Author: Associated Press Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) METH-LAB LAWS CALLED TOO WEAK Effect On Children Worries Officials CHARLOTTE -- People who operate methamphetamine labs, especially in households with children, should get tougher punishment than state law now allows, justice officials say. State Attorney General Roy Cooper and Van Shaw Jr., an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation in Charlotte, lobbied the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission on Friday for tougher penalties for manufacturing meth, including longer prison sentences. They also sought a separate felony child-endangerment charge for making meth in the presence of minors. Someone charged with manufacturing or selling the drug could face between seven and 23 years in jail, depending on the amount of the drug. Most first-time offenders receive probation, Shaw said. Prosecutors can't apply North Carolina's child-endangerment laws in meth cases because the laws don't address drug manufacturing, he said. If illegal drugs are made in a home with children present, the parents can now be charged with neglect, said Jo Ann Lamm, program administrator for the state's Division of Family Support and Child Welfare Services. The Department of Social Services can file abuse charges if a child suffers chemical burns or is hurt during an explosion or fire, said Karen George, executive director of the N.C. Association of County Directors of Social Services. Volatile chemicals used in making meth can easily explode, and the vapors they give off can cause serious respiratory ailments. At least 74 North Carolina children this year have been found in homes with meth labs, and many of them have tested positive for exposure to the drug, Shaw said. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin