Pubdate: Mon, 06 Dec 2004 Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Copyright: 2004 Richmond Newspapers Inc. Contact: http://www.timesdispatch.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/365 Author: Paul J. Mcnulty Note: Paul J. McNulty is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Health, Safety Hazard STATE TAKES A STAND AGAINST METH PRODUCTION Bobby Green couldn't take it anymore. His parents made and sold methamphetamine at his home in Lee County, and the 12-year-old was scared of the drug addicts who frequented the house. He was sick of the chemical smell that wouldn't wash off. He was embarrassed by the holes in his clothing believed to be caused by the toxic chemicals. But most of all, Bobby was worried for his 7-year-old sister. She was too little, he said, to spend her nights hiding in the woods from the putrid smells and drug addicts and drug dealers. So Bobby (not his real name) did what any desperate and scared child would do: He told the police. Bobby and his little sister now live with their aunt in Kentucky. Bobby's parents reside in a federal prison for manufacturing methamphetamine. Methamphetamine, or "meth," has gained a foothold in Virginia. This year, the Virginia State Police, working with numerous county and local agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration, has discovered and destroyed twice as many meth labs in Virginia as it did last year. The Commonwealth is on the brink of a drug epidemic. It's clear that methamphetamine production and addiction in Virginia must be addressed now, before things get worse. Virginia's law-enforcement community needs to work together to combat this problem. That is why my colleague, John L. Brownlee, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, and I have called for a Virginia Methamphetamine Leadership Summit - which we will convene in Richmond tomorrow. Co-sponsored by Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, the summit will include DEA administrator Karen Tandy and federal, state, and local law-enforcement leaders from around the Commonwealth. Our goal is to develop new strategies that will reduce methamphetamine's harmful effects on our citizens. We are ready to commit the resources it takes to stop the spread of this extremely addictive drug in order to keep all Virginians safe and drug-free. FOR THE PAST two decades methamphetamine production and use have spread throughout the United States, hitting Southwest Virginia in the late 1990s. It can now be found everywhere in the Commonwealth, including noticeable increases in meth trafficking in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. Methamphetamine abuse devastates the user physically and has an equally detrimental effect on the user's family. It also brings the additional and significant problem of the meth lab. The meth manufacturing process is remarkably uncomplicated, making it cheaper and easier for many meth users and dealers to produce the drugs their bodies and customers demand. It requires mixing over-the-counter cold medicine with caustic and flammable chemicals such as iodine, acetone, lye, and Coleman fuel, all of which are readily available at local grocery and hardware stores. Some recipes use red phosphorus, taken from matchbook striker plates; others use battery acid and anhydrous ammonia, a chemical commonly found on farms. Making meth doesn't require a true laboratory. Many meth labs are found in kitchens, basements, and bedrooms. Instead of high-tech equipment, these labs are constructed out of rubber tubing, coffee filters, hot plates, Pyrex dishes, and soda bottles. The labs are highly mobile, and often stored in cars, so they can be easily moved from one house or hotel room to the next. THE PERCEIVED simplicity of manufacturing methamphetamine, however, disguises its health, safety, and environmental hazards. Meth labs are extremely dangerous. The labs are highly flammable and create toxic vapor clouds that can kill or maim any person who inhales the fumes, including the unknowing rescue worker, firefighter, or police officer. Anhydrous ammonia, for example, can explode if improperly heated, and will erode the propane tanks in which it is often kept, causing them to burst, and sending toxic vapors and shrapnel in every direction. The manufacturing process also is dangerous, leaving behind a toxic residue that adheres to walls, windows, carpets, and clothing. The chemical residue remains in the system of anyone living in a home with a meth lab. One study found that nearly 35 percent of children removed from meth lab homes tested positive for toxic levels of chemicals. To make matters worse, children of methamphetamine users and dealers often suffer neglect. They may be left to fend for themselves while their parents are preoccupied feeding their own drug addiction. And when their parents are arrested and sent to prison, they are left to the care of family members and the foster care system. It is always best to begin construction before the flood. Given what has happened in other states - and the early warning signs here in the Commonwealth - we must take the threat of methamphetamine production and use seriously. If as a community we can be half as courageous as Bobby, we will be able to prevent other children from having to do the work that is rightfully ours. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth