Pubdate: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 Source: Macon Telegraph (GA) Copyright: 2004 The Macon Telegraph Publishing Company Contact: http://www.macontelegraph.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/667 Author: Tim Sturrock Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) PANEL TOLD TRAINING, LEGISLATION MAY CURB GEORGIA'S METH PROBLEM When Sgt. Wayne Franklin of the Houston County Sheriff's Office first saw a methamphetamine lab in a car in 1999, the meth problem was so new in the midstate that he had no idea what it was. "It's a miracle that we didn't get blown up or killed in those first few years," he said. But the drug enforcement officer said Georgia has come a long way in reacting to the drug since it first began appearing here. Methamphetamine use has become prominent in the past five years, drug officials said. "We're ahead of the game compared to other states, but there are a lot of things we have to do, because it's going to stay," he said. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency recorded 28 meth labs in Georgia in fiscal 1999. In 2003, 701 labs were reported to the GBI. Based on numbers from earlier this year, the GBI projects a 28 percent increase for 2004. It appears that Georgia is taking notice. More groups have formed to deal with the problem. Last week Gov. Sonny Perdue held a summit to talk with law enforcement, prosecutors, social workers and others about solutions for the problem he said was growing like kudzu. Wednesday, a state House study committee, which is traveling to several areas of Georgia, stopped in Forsyth to hear from several law enforcement officials and others about the problem. "Methamphetamine is getting attention in Georgia," said Paul Musik, special agent in charge of GBI's Macon office. "It's hard not to give it attention. With what we're seeing here, we're painfully aware of the problem." Musik told the committee that he believes there needs to be more training. He said he's heard of a law enforcement agent inadvertently tracking toxic chemicals from a lab into his home because he was not properly trained in dealing with meth labs. He said because there is such a large difference in the 467 Georgia homes the DEA paid to have cleared of chemicals and paraphernalia in 2003 as compared with the 701 labs reported to the GBI, he suspects many labs that need to be cleaned are not. He said there needs to be a requirement that law enforcement agencies report all meth labs to the state. Musik said he believes the state is making progress, but things take time. Georgia doesn't have a law, as some states do, that monitors or regulates the sale of a cold remedy called pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth. State Rep. David Graves, R-Macon, said he sponsored a bill that would put the cold remedy behind counters. Following objections from businesses, the matter is being studied, he said. "Our hope is to come up with something that is the least intrusive to businesses as possible but to stem the growth of meth labs as much as possible," he said. Monroe County Sheriff J.C. Bittick told the panel Wednesday that recent cuts to the GBI have delayed some of his office's meth cases because it takes six to eight months before the labs can make the necessary determination for trials. State Rep. Curtis Jenkins, D-Forsyth, said the House Public Safety Committee will study the allocations given to the GBI. But the General Assembly has already passed meth-related laws: It's now a felony to own more than 300 pseudoephedrine tablets, or anhydrous ammonium, with the intent of making of meth. It's also a felony to make meth in the presence of children. Work still needs to be done to spread public awareness, and there seems to be a lack of treatment options, said state Rep. Barbara Massey Reece, D-Menlo. But since a June 20 meeting in northwestern Georgia, she knows of two community task forces that have formed in Chattooga and Catoosa counties. In Houston County, two groups are forming to deal with the problem. Families Against Methamphetamine Abuse is a group for people with families members who suffer from a problem with meth, said Jim Rockefeller, an organizer of the group. Another Houston County group, which includes law enforcement and prosecutors, will look for local solutions, study the problem and try to spread awareness, said Houston County District Attorney Kelly Burke. He said Georgia has a lot to learn from other states. "We don't have to reinvent the wheel," he said. "We can look at California, Oklahoma and Missouri and see what they're doing." The group Burke is involved with was formed last week as a result of the governor's summit, he said. There are plans to hold a public meeting in October. The public still has a lot to learn to help fight the problem, he said. For example, in some cases, neighbors have complained about strange smells without realizing the odors were from a meth lab, he said. The group will first work on a local ordinance requiring that houses contaminated by meth labs be cleaned before they are lived in again. He said there is no state regulation that deals with decontaminating houses where meth labs have been removed. Franklin said the situation has to change soon. "If the people are slumlords, for lack of a better word, and they don't want to spend $10,000 to clean up the property, what are we going to do?" he asked. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh