Pubdate: Sun, 02 Oct 2005
Source: Frontiersman, The (Wasilla, AK)
Copyright: 2005 Wick Communications
Contact:  http://www.frontiersman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1532
Author: Darrell L. Breese, Frontiersman reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

STEMMING THE METH EPIDEMIC

MAT-SU - The escalation of methamphetamine production throughout the
Valley has become such a serious problem that the Mat-Su Drug
Enforcement Team has made busting clandestine labs its number-one priority.

The problem has become so bad, according to U.S. Attorney Timothy
Burgess, that police agencies in the Valley have uncovered more
methamphetamine labs this year than they found during all of 2004.

In an attempt to address the growing problem, the Mat-Su Borough
Assembly is asking voters to go to the polls Tuesday and pass
Proposition No. 6, which would grant to the borough limited health and
social service powers.

If voters approve the proposition, the borough would be able to
enforce a borough code, passed Aug. 2, requiring cold and allergy
medicines containing pseudoephedrine to be sold from behind the
counter, in limited quantities.

Local law enforcement officials believe the laws will result in a
notable decrease in the production and use of meth locally.

"The way I look at it is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound
of cure," Houston Police Chief John Rhyshek said Tuesday.

"I support any action that inhibits access to precursors for the
development of meth. It will definitely put a monkey wrench in the
thinking of those who manufacture and use meth."

Investigator Mike Ingram with the Alaska State Troopers Drug Unit on
Tuesday said national statistics show a dramatic decline in production
and the total number of labs, in particular the small mom-and-pop labs
that are the primary mode of operation for labs in the Valley.

Ingram also said other crimes related to meth use might also see a
decrease.

"Sex-related crimes should go down," Ingram said. "Meth increases your
libido and is involved in a number of the rape and sexual-assault
cases reported.

"The number of thefts and burglaries should also go down as access to
the drug is reduced. A large number of users are those who are
committing the associated property crimes."

The law adopted by the borough is similar to one in effect in Kansas,
Oklahoma and Iowa, where it has been successful in decreasing the
number of meth labs and occurrences of related crimes.

"The program is working quite well," said T.J. Ciaffone, response unit
chief with the Kansas Meth Watch Program. "The communities that are
action-oriented have seen the number of meth-related crimes drop
drastically. The number of users and manufacturing operations has been
going down since the limits have been put in place."

The greatest success of the limitations on the sale of
pseudoephedrine, according to Ciaffone, has been seen in Kansas' rural
counties.

Rice County has had the best results, an 80-percent reduction in
meth-related crimes and a 50-percent reduction in labs in operation.

Overall, Kansas has seen a decrease of 263 manufacturing labs since
enacting the limitation in 2001, with the total number of lab seizures
being reduced from 846 in 2001 to 583 last year.

"We're really starting to see tangible results," Ciaffone said. "We
are seeing the success that was hoped for when the limits on the
precursor medicines" were passed.

Similar laws have succeeded in the other states.

Oklahoma, which enacted a Meth Watch program and placed limits on cold
medicine purchases, recorded a drop from 427 labs seized in 2004, to
69 to date this year.

Iowa, one of the first states to adopt a law limiting cold medicine
purchases, has seen a 75-percent reduction in the number of
clandestine meth labs, down from 478 in 2004 to 120 this year.

Rhyshek said limiting the access to cold medicines won't bring an end
to the meth problem. "A criminal is a criminal is a criminal. People
who are determined will find a way around this," he said.

"They will travel to Anchorage and possibly look to other criminal
endeavors to get a hold of the medicines. They said no one would ever
break out of Alcatraz, so I hope people don't view this as the final
solution to the problem." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake