Pubdate: Fri, 04 Mar 2005
Source: Tullahoma News (TN)
Copyright: The Tullahoma News 2005
Contact:  http://www.tullahomanews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2031
Author: Mary Perren
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

IT'S TIME FOR STATE TO CRACK DOWN ON METH

NASHVILLE - Gov. Phil Bredesen has proclaimed March "Meth-Free Tennessee 
Month." The public awareness campaign coincides with the legislative push 
to curb the manufacture of the highly addictive stimulant methamphetamine. 
Tennessee leads the Southeast in the number of meth labs seized, according 
to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The drug is produced in 
clandestine laboratories across the state from relatively inexpensive 
over-the-counter ingredients.

Meth has long been regarded as a rural problem, particularly in the Upper 
Cumberland region. However, authorities warn that the drug is creeping into 
urban areas. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn says two 
labs were found in a Shelby County hotel in January.

This prompted the Black Caucus of State Legislators to become involved in 
the push to curb the meth problem. They've endorsed the bills to curb its 
use, known collectively as the "Meth-Free Tennessee Act of 2005."

"We want to prevent this drug from devastating our community like it's 
devastated the rural areas," said House Speaker Pro Tem Lois DeBerry, 
D-Memphis. "We've got to educate our constituents about this drug so we can 
do something to prevent it from being an epidemic in the inner city."

A major component of the legislation is the proposed sales restriction of 
over-the-counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine. It's one of the 
main ingredients in the meth recipe. The bill would limit sales of many 
such drugs to licensed pharmacies and require that they be placed behind 
the counter.

Retailers have argued that this restricts access by law-abiding, 
Sutafed-buying citizens. Bredesen debunked this argument by excluding 
liquids and gel caps from the limits, since they can't be easily decomposed 
to make meth.

Meth cooks also use things like Drano, Ajax and lithium batteries to cook 
the brown rocky substance. That begs the question of why one would 
voluntarily consume a substance made from such unappealing ingredients.

Meth users say the drug produces an instant high that puts cocaine to 
shame. It makes the brain race and intensely stimulates the central nervous 
system. The high is comparable to trading in your vintage Volkswagen Beetle 
for a top-fuel dragster with an average speed of about 300 miles-per-hour. 
One hit of meth produces a high that lasts several hours, while a snort of 
cocaine wears off after an hour or so.

The extreme highs also come with serious consequences. Meth affects the 
central nervous system, and chronic use can lead to brain and spinal cord 
damage and, in extreme cases, death.

Drug use in general also leads to crime and poverty, and meth is no 
exception. Junkies in need of a fix will do anything to get it. Often they 
don't realize they're hurting the people who love them until it's too late, 
because life to them is merely a means to an end.

In Tennessee, more than 700 children wind up in state custody each year as 
a result of meth lab seizures and incidents. Officials with the Department 
of Children's Services say infants and toddlers are particularly at risk 
when they are taken from homes in which toxic lab emissions and residue has 
settled on floors and furniture.

Other provisions of the Meth-Free Tennessee Act include closing the 
so-called "personal use loophole" in criminal law. Currently meth cooks can 
get lighter sentences by claiming they made the drug only for personal use.

The measure also would require health professionals to report meth 
lab-related burns and injuries to local law enforcement, similar to the 
current reporting of gunshot and knife wounds.

 From October 2003 to August 2004, law enforcement authorities seized 
nearly 1,200 labs in Tennessee. They say that's an increase of 397 percent 
from 2000.

Keep in mind that figure only reflects the labs that were busted. Labs can 
be set up anywhere - from warehouses to bathrooms and tool sheds. Labs have 
even been found in the trunks of cars.

State lawmakers need to act now to stamp out the meth problem before it 
gets any worse. Meth is a moving target, which makes it nearly impossible 
to eradicate. However, that shouldn't be an excuse to do nothing.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Mary Perren is the Tennessee correspondent for Metro 
Source, a division of Westwood One Communications.)
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