METH EPIDEMIC

Editor, Times-Union:

There is a new drug epidemic sweeping across America. It is not limited to
big cities. It is not limited to the coasts. It is in small towns, on farms
and in our schools. The drug is methamphetamine.

It is easy to think of the latest drug trends as belonging solely to
America's largest cities. Meth, however, is right here, in Indiana. It is
as addictive as cocaine or heroin, can cause erratic and violent behavior,
and more of it is being produced and used every day.

In testimony before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal
Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources in Washington, D.C., Noble County
Chief Deputy Sheriff Doug Harp explained that 80 percent of the drug cases
he has investigated since joining the department in 1995 have involved the
sale or manufacture of meth. The very first meth-related arrest in Noble
County was in 1996, but use of it has risen so dramatically that in 2000
authorities confiscated more than 150 ounces of the drug, worth $500,000.

Meth-related crime is on the rise as well. Meth addicts frequently steal in
order to support their habits. They may rob stores or individuals or even
walk down the street stealing checks out of mailboxes. Noble County Sheriff
Doug Dukes testified that even children become addicted and can turn to
crime to buy more drugs; his department broke up a burglary ring of 20
juveniles who were stealing in order to purchase meth. Worse yet, meth
crime can easily turn violent. Deputy Sheriff Harp described incidents in
which meth addicts and dealers have been found with extensive arsenals of
illegal weapons, have shot at police and even have burned their own houses
down to avoid arrest.

This is a new kind of drug and a new kind of problem for much of Indiana.
Meth does not have to be imported like so many other illegal drugs. It is a
synthetic substance that can be concocted from common, easily-purchased
products. Meth "labs," where the drug is made, can be found in abandoned
buildings, hotel rooms, barns, even vans or trucks. These labs could be
anywhere and their numbers are growing. In Indiana in 1994, police located
and raided four meth labs. By 1999, the number had jumped to 246, and as
fast as our police can shut them down, more appear.

It is clear that the methods we use to fight cocaine and heroin may very
well not apply to meth. It is equally clear from testimony to my
subcommittee that the solution is not to simply spend more money. We need
new ideas and a fresh approach. That is why I am calling for further study
of the development of new methods of law enforcement and prevention to
specifically address the problem of rapidly spreading methamphetamine use.

The law enforcement community in Indiana has already started to move in
this direction. The first step is to educate police officers about
precisely what they are facing and why it is different than anything they
might have dealt with before. This summer, around 100 Kosciusko County law
enforcement officers participated in a meth training session with members
of the Indiana State Police Clandestine Lab Team. They learned about the
drug, its effects on users, how to identify users and how it is produced.

That is a good first step, but it is only the start. I fully intend to take
further steps to vigorously pursue this matter. Our drug policy hearing was
an educational experience for all involved. It is through this kind of
study - of both the spread of methamphetamine use and new methods of
combating it - that we will discover new approaches to turning the tide on
the spread of meth in Indiana and elsewhere. Local law enforcement
professionals are on the front line. We will depend on them to continue to
share their views and expertise.

We cannot hide from this epidemic. We must continue to work together to
combat the newest challenge in the drug war.

Mark Souder
U.S. Representative (R-Ind., District 4)