Pubdate: Thu, 29 Sep 2005
Source: Hendersonville Times-News (NC)
Copyright: 2005 Hendersonville Newspaper Corporation
Contact:  http://www.hendersonvillenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/793
Author: Scott Parrott, Times-News Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

LAWMAKERS LAUD PASSAGE OF BILL TARGETING METH PRODUCTION

Local law enforcement and legislators on Wednesday welcomed a new law
that targets the production of the narcotic methamphetamine.

Gov. Mike Easley signed a law Tuesday that keeps some cold tablets
behind the pharmacy counter to control a key ingredient used in the
making of methamphetamine, also known as meth.

"It is an epidemic in Western Carolina," said Sen. Tom Apodaca,
R-Laurel Park. "Hopefully this will do something to get it somewhat
under control."

The comments came as Apodaca addressed the Henderson County Republican
Men's Club on Wednesday morning. Apodaca and Rep. Carolyn Justus,
R-Dana, updated club members on the recently ended legislative session.

The new meth law requires buyers of cold and allergy tablets and
caplets containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, some with brand names
such as Sudafed, Drixoral and Claritin-D, to be at least 18 years old,
show identification and sign a log at a pharmacy. No more than two
packs can be purchased at any one time and no more than three in a
month.

Liquid or gelcap forms of the medicine, or those specifically for
children, will remain on retail store shelves because there have been
no reports of meth manufacturers in North Carolina using them to
create the highly addictive drug. A state panel will monitor those
medicines and could restrict them later.

Apodaca said some vendors worried that the measure would be
frustrating for regular customers.

"I think that's a small price to pay to help protect the public,"
Apodaca said.

Justus said she understood that the major manufacturers that make
Sudafed and other drugs containing pseudoephedrine plan to soon
produce new drugs that no longer contain the ingredient.

Dangerous Drug

Methamphetamine, also known as crank, ice and crystal meth, is a
highly addictive illegal stimulant that can be made from simple
household chemicals in spaces as small as a car trunk. The drug has
plagued rural areas, including parts of Western North Carolina. But it
is not confined to rural areas, as meth labs have been discovered
everywhere from college dorm rooms to vehicles pulled over by state
troopers.

During her first legislative session in 2003, Justus said, police
found a meth lab in one of the rooms at the Raleigh motel where she
was staying.

Once it was safe, the police allowed Justus into the motel room.
Inside, she saw matches, Sudafed, a hot plate and white powder with
liquid on top. The powder turned out to be meth.

"Methamphetamine is just the most dangerous thing that we can have
going," Justus said. "We need to keep our people safe. It is very
explosive, very flammable. To put it in a motel...it could have blown
up, and that's where they're finding it."

Meth Cases Explode

Meth use has skyrocketed in Henderson County in the past five
years.

In 1999, detectives with the Henderson County Sheriff's Department
investigated six meth cases, seizing $3,855 worth of the drug.

Last year, they investigated 122 meth cases and seized $201,722. From
January through June of this year, detectives had already worked 67
meth cases and seized $220,425.

The problem spurred a group of educators, social workers, counselors,
nurses and law enforcement officers to launch a task force in
Henderson County to target meth.

Jane Ferguson, chief executive officer of Appalachian Counseling,
organized the task force. She said that between 80 and 90 percent of
the people in Appalachian Counseling's substance abuse program are
seeking treatment for meth addictions.

The problem stretches statewide.

North Carolina law enforcement has uncovered 263 labs so far this
year, compared to 322 for all of last year and just nine in 1998. The
labs, first found in Western North Carolina before moving east, have
led to the poisoning of children and explosions in residential areas
that harmed first responders at the scene.

Restrictions Welcome

The new restrictions taking effect Jan. 15 are modeled after similar
laws in Oklahoma, Tennessee and Iowa, where the number of busted labs
fell dramatically since they took effect. Virginia and New Jersey also
recently approved similar sales restraints.

Henderson County Sheriff George Erwin welcomed the new law, calling it
a step in the right direction.

"We have some counties surrounding us that have had troubles with
clandestine laboratories," Erwin said. "Fortunately, we haven't seen
the laboratories. But on the other side, we have seen a drastic
increase of meth in our county."

And that increase in drug abuse leads to other crimes, especially
property crimes such as theft and home break-ins.

But Erwin said more needs to be done to continue to combat the
problem.

"In my experience, I found that drug dealers are pretty much, well,
where there's a will there's a way," he said. "They'll find some other
way. They'll find some other pharmaceutical."

The drug war, he said, must be fought on three fronts. The first is
education, including teaching children about the dangers of drugs. The
second front is through law enforcement. And the third front is
providing treatment for addicts who admit they have a problem.

"We need to be much more proactive," he said. "One thing is for
communities to get involved. In this community we have a lot of people
that call in information anonymously and that has been fruitful."

"We have to empower our communities," Erwin added. "Who better knows
what goes on in their neighborhood than the people who live in their
neighborhood."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake