METH CASES RISING IN KANSAS CITY

Methamphetamine cases are rising at a slow but steady pace in Kansas City's
federal court, signifying the difficulties fighting the dangerous drug.

Last year, the number of local meth cases in federal court stood at 55,
down from 70 in 2001. This year, there already have been 39 cases.

State and county officials in Missouri are noting similar increases.

While the situation is not as dire as it was a few years ago, a lot still
needs to be done, said Todd Graves, U.S. attorney for the Western District
of Missouri.

"Five, 10 years ago, we were having trouble even getting our arms around
it, it was growing so fast," Graves said. "Now we've got our arms around it
but haven't wrestled it to the ground yet."

Methamphetamine -- a potent stimulant and hallucinogen -- is made in part
from common household cleansers and cold medicines. Making meth produces
strong, toxic fumes. Its use often causes violent and unpredictable behavior.

The meth problem primarily dogged the West and Southwest during the 1970s
and 1980s, and then hit the Midwest.

In the 1990s, the federal government poured millions of dollars into hiring
officers to combat the problem in "high-intensity drug trafficking-areas"
across the country. These efforts slowed growth in some areas, but the
Midwest continues to be particularly vulnerable.

Of the central states, Missouri tends to rank highest for meth-related
seizures. For example, last year authorities seized 346 labs, dumpsites and
paraphernalia in Nebraska, 487 in Illinois and 718 in Iowa -- compared with
1,717 in Missouri.

However, the prognosis is not dismal for all of the Midwest. Kansas
authorities have noticed a slowly decreasing trend with 728 labs, dumpsites
and paraphernalia seized in 2002. That is 118 fewer than in 2001.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesman Kyle Smith said the trend seems to
be continuing this year. About 290 labs have been seized so far.

"We're hoping that we've turned the corner," Smith said.

Still, Smith is concerned that the numbers could jump in the next few
years. A new law allows some low-level drug offenders to seek treatment
rather than spend time in the state's overcrowded prisons.

"It reduces penalties for methamphetamine possession and is going to result
in more methamphetamine addicts out on the streets," Smith said.

Smith said he thinks some methamphetamine manufacturers will take advantage
of the law by pleading guilty to lesser crimes to avoid prison.

Smith also said that the statistics could be skewed because some of the
state's law enforcement agencies have cut officers who sought out
methamphetamine labs. Other agencies have not completed the paperwork
necessary to be included in the state's official statistics, he said.

Some progress is being made in Missouri.

Authorities seized 2,137 meth labs, dumpsites and paraphernalia in 2001 --
slightly more than in 2002. But the meth problem continues, in part because
of production techniques using fertilizer, federal authorities said.

Missouri meth producers often use a simple formula involving anhydrous
ammonia, said Shirley A. Armstead, a St. Louis area spokeswoman for the
Drug Enforcement Administration.

"You don't need a lot of precursor ingredients to make the drug, so it's
very easy to make," Armstead said.

The problem is particularly pronounced in the state's rural areas, federal
officials said. Areas near Springfield and the Ozarks have become problem
spots in recent years, Graves said.

"When you get out into rural areas, it sometimes is easier to conceal what
you're doing, and sometimes the enforcement power is not there compared to
urban areas," Graves said.

Metropolitan area authorities are concerned as well. In Jackson County, law
enforcement officials are noting more activity.

Jackson County Drug Task Force officials busted 55 meth labs in 2002, up
from 29 in 2001. So far this year, officials have seized about 30 labs.
Still, that is well behind the pace of 1996, when the task force set a
record with 119 busts.

The task force sponsors a campaign to educate the public and local
merchants on suspicious behavior that could indicate meth production.

"The more we educate the community, the more tips we'll receive from
residents," said Terri Klote, task force spokeswoman.

The solution is not an easy one, state and federal officials said.

Recently, state lawmakers took additional steps to curb the problem by
enacting a set of bills that restrict sales of cold and allergy medicines
containing pseudoephedrine -- a key ingredient in meth.

Graves said tackling meth will continue to be a priority on the federal
level. He also wants to toughen drug enforcement activities in Cass and
Johnson counties in Missouri.

The DEA's Armstead said the key is getting more public involvement, because
authorities cannot be everywhere.

"The public has to be our eyes and ears on this," she said. "And when it
comes to meth, our nose as well."