Pubdate: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Copyright: 2004 The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Contact: http://www.knoxnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/226 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) TECHNOLOGY MAY GIVE STATE EDGE IN METH WARS The state of Tennessee finally is working to gain an advantage in the ongoing war against methamphetamine. If it is a war in which technology can make the difference, the days of widespread meth manufacturing and use in this state might be numbered. To be sure, there are rough roads to travel. The best technology might encounter problems zeroing in on meth labs hidden in the hills and hollows of East and Middle Tennessee. The drug is a habit-forming stimulant distilled from over-the-counter cold medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The popularity of the drug masks the incredibly dangerous nature of manufacturing it. That process can cause fires and explosions as well as release toxic chemicals. The costs of cleaning up meth sites far outstrips county law enforcement budgets. Meth-making also has a big head start, made bigger by the Legislature's virtual inaction last session. More than 30 bills dealing with illegally manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine were offered. Several would have increased prison sentences and fines. The Tennessee Public Safety Coalition, a statewide group of district attorney generals, chiefs of police and sheriffs, pleaded for legislation to strengthen the criminal statutes concerning meth. However, lawmakers punted the issue to the governor and called for a special task force to study the problem and report next year. Fortunately, that task force is up and running and has been asked to present its recommendations to the governor by Sept. 1. Last week, the task force met at Roane State Community College in Harriman and had the opportunity to review some of the technological weapons that likely will be used in the fight against methamphetamine. Some of that technology involves items used to detect chemical weapons and explosives. These include an ion scanner the Tennessee National Guard used recently in Johnson City to detect the actual presence of meth on a child's clothes. The handheld scanner also can detect other illegal drugs and explosives. Likewise, hyperspectral imaging, used to detect leaking ammonia and Freon after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001, likely could help locate meth-making operations from the air, officials said. A mass spectrometer that has been used to detect chemical weapons around the world also could be adapted to find meth labs. In addition to technology, there is the wrenching human toll the drug takes on the children of meth-makers. In an 18-month period through last July, the state Department of Children's Services took custody of about 700 children from parents who were making the drug. Giving the department greater resources and funding to deal with this aspect of the problem certainly is in order. It is good that the 20-member panel is working through the summer to explore the problem of methamphetamine. We await the task force's report in September. Meanwhile, there should be no quarter given to this scourge over Tennessee and the South. - --- MAP posted-by: Josh