Pubdate: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 Source: Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC) Copyright: 2005 Evening Post Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.charleston.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/567 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) METH 'PLAGUE' PREVENTIVE ACTION Law enforcement officials in communities where the production, sale and use of methamphetamine have become a serious problem routinely call it a "plague." Like any other plague, the best way to protect a community from this epidemic is through preventive measures. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Ralph Hoisington has wisely taken that course in appointing a special prosecutor to handle meth cases. As Glenn Smith reported in Wednesday's Post and Courier, Assistant Solicitor Edward Knisley Jr. will now oversee those cases in an effort to nip this rising threat in the bud. The grim experiences of other jurisdictions offer ample evidence to justify this move. Mr. Hoisington explained: "It's clear that this is a developing problem nationwide. Fortunately, we have not had a major problem with it yet. But in the last year, we've seen a dramatic increase in the number of arrests." The increase in meth arrests has been even higher elsewhere in the state. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, meth-lab seizures in South Carolina rose from 10 in fiscal year 2000-01 to 254 last year, and at least 165 meth labs have been seized across the state since Oct. 1. Most of those arrests came with the help of tips from the public. Among the telltale signs of a meth lab are always-drawn shades, people coming and going at all hours, the presence of numerous 20-pound propane tanks and chemical smells. S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster plans to appoint a meth prosecutor of his own soon. And the General Assembly this year strengthened meth penalties and restricted access to legal cold remedies that contain pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in meth. Dealers of this devastating illegal drug don't have to smuggle it across national borders. They can simply make it here, using such easily obtained items as denatured alcohol, ammonia, lithium strips from batteries, lye and matches. Mr. Knisley warned: "Meth is the new crack, and it's going to eclipse that problem. The reason for that is that people can make it themselves." That volatile, potentially explosive manufacturing process can claim victims far beyond the clandestine labs set up in private homes and motels and this drug's willing users. For instance, The Associated Press reported Thursday that the parents of a 10-month-old boy in Williamston have been arrested after doctors found meth in his system. Cleaning up meth labs requires hazardous-material expertise. And cleaning up this growing menace will require vigilance from not only law enforcement, but the community at large. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin