Pubdate: Mon, 11 Dec 2006
Source: Daytona Beach News-Journal (FL)
Copyright: 2006 News-Journal Corporation
Contact:  http://www.news-journalonline.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/700
Note: gives priority to local writers
Author: Patricio G. Balona, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

STETSON STUDENT BUSTS METH MYTHS

DELAND -- William Collum knew methamphetamine ruined addicts' lives 
but was surprised to read the drug also hurt innocent victims -- such 
as a family that moved into a house where meth was once cooked. The 
report showed how failure to clean the house properly left the air 
toxic and sickened the family. A financial crisis, breakup and 
divorce followed, said Collum, a Stetson University political science major.

"It was sad reading about the mother who could no longer touch her 
family pictures because they were so contaminated," Collum said.

The article became the focus of a "dear colleague" letter Collum 
helped draft in August 2005, when he served as a congressional intern 
and worked with the Subcommittee for Criminal Justice, Drug Policy 
and Human Resources in Washington D.C.

Collum's research for the letter prompted him to learn all he could 
about the world of methamphetamine, a fast-growing, highly addictive 
drug that users can make cheaply with ingredients that are easy to obtain.

He studied legislation to combat the drug, modes of ingestion, 
manufacturing methods and the health risks posed to other people, 
especially children, who live in homes where the chemicals are 
processed to produce meth crystals.

"I was horrified to learn that the worst way to use meth is as an 
enema. It is just horrible for the body," Collum said.

In November, the 20-year-old Stetson junior presented results of five 
months of research on meth dubbed "De-Icing America: The Federal 
Executive and Legislative response to the Methamphetamine Epidemic." 
More than 150 students packed the university's Rinker Auditorium of 
the Lynn Business Center to hear Collum speak.

"I certainly learned from his presentation," said Dr. T. Wayne 
Bailey, professor of political science at the university. "It brought 
home to the students, many of whom are not aware of the meth culture, 
of how dangerous it is."

Sheriff's Office officials, who have been combating an increase in 
meth manufacture and use in Volusia County, said Collum's work is a 
welcome help in their efforts to educate the public.

The concern over dangerous gases in homes where the drug is made 
prompted the Sheriff's Office to equip a six-member team with 
protective gear to dismantle meth labs, said sheriff's spokesman 
Brandon Haught.

"In a home or apartment where there have been multiple cooks, gases 
get into the porousness of the structure and there is a real good 
chance of people becoming sick," Haught said.

Haught said property owners are responsible to make structures safe 
once law enforcement officials remove the chemicals.

"It never hurts to check the history of the place you are moving into 
and ask the property owner questions," Haught said.

Properly cleaning the site of a meth lab can cost between $2,500 to 
$10,000, Collum said.

Since 2001 there has been a rise in home-cooking labs and larger 
labs, with 276 discovered and destroyed in Florida, Collum's research 
showed. Nationwide, in 2003, there were 17,356. By 2005, that number 
had declined to 12,484 but it is not yet known whether the dip is 
temporary or indicative of a trend toward fewer labs.

Collum said he is pleased that laws have been passed to limit the 
purchase of over-the-counter cold medication with ephedrine -- a key 
ingredient in meth. Buyers are required to sign a log book at each 
drugstore so authorities can monitor if they are amassing the 
products to manufacture the drug.

"I think it is going to make a difference," Collum said. "It's really 
a great approach to attacking the nation's meth problem.

[Sidebar]

Cleaning Up

Chemical residue from meth labs can permeate surfaces such as walls, 
counters, floors and ceilings, as well as carpeting, ventilation 
systems and drain pipes, tubs and sinks where chemicals are dumped. 
Meth-making chemicals are known to cause cancer, respiratory 
problems, short-term and long-term brain damage. Common household 
cleaners can remove most residues, but surfaces that are visibly 
contaminated, stained or give off an odor should be replaced.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman