'SUMMIT' CHARTS PERILS OF METH; STATE IS NO. 2 IN DRUG-LAB BUSTS,
CONFERENCE TOLD

Methamphetamine drugs are so pervasive in Washington state that the
problem has extended beyond law enforcement and is affecting all of
society. That was the consensus yesterday among the 360 participants
at a conference in Bellevue for legislators, police officers,
educators and social-service workers to discuss the "emerging meth
crisis." "We're looking to formalize partnerships that, before, have
sprung up only out of necessity," said King County Sheriff Dave
Reichert. "We need to work within all the disciplines to create a
plan for addressing the meth problem."

Last year, Washington ranked No. 2 after California with 1,454
meth-lab seizures, about a seventh of the national total. Six months
into this year, there were 1,003 busts in the state - a dramatic
increase from the 60 recorded for all of 1995.

Among last year's meth-lab seizures, Pierce County ranked first with
545. King County was second with 231, followed by Thurston County
with 139 and Spokane County with 137. Already this year, there have
been 331 seizures in Pierce County and 140 in King County.

State facilities admitted 486 people for meth treatment in 1993. In
2000, that number had increased to 5,850.

According to summit participants - who represent 25 of the state's 39
counties - methamphetamine presents some big challenges:

* Production of the drug often contaminates the environment. Toxic
chemicals left over from "cooking" are often dumped in woods and
abandoned lots, where they seep into wells, ponds and septic systems.
It costs between $2,000 and $4,000 to clean up every seized meth lab,
according to the state Department of Ecology.

* There is a strong correlation between meth users and
child-protection needs. In 40 percent of the seizures in Pierce
County last year, children were removed from the site and registered
with a social-service agency.

* Meth is considered more addictive and physically harmful than most
drugs, leading to more violent criminals and increased treatment
costs and drug dependency.

* Meth is equally prevalent in rural and urban areas.

* Large quantities of meth can be quickly manufactured almost
anywhere - rented motel rooms, trailers, camping sites.

"You're meeting a cynical public that has dealt with the drug war
before," said U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, addressing the
conference attendees. "How do we communicate that this is something
of a different genre, something much more insidious and widespread
than any of those issues ever were?"

The two-day summit is a pilot project of the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration, which wants to produce a report that can be used by
other states that have similar problems with meth.

There is also a $15 million comprehensive "meth initiative" for
Washington state proposed before Congress.

Meth - also known as crank, ice and crystal - is a stimulant, similar
to cocaine, that gives users euphoric highs. The synthetic stimulant,
which can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken in pill form, has
spread throughout the country. Its side effects include paranoia and
violence.

"Meth is a cheap and powerful drug," said Steve Hunter, with the
Department of Ecology. "You don't have to smuggle it - you can make
it, and that's part of the explosion."

King County sheriff's Sgt. Roger Thompson, who specializes in meth
cases, said Mexican organized-crime families now see meth as a money-
making scheme, on a par with heroin and cocaine of the 1980s and '90s.

Washington is a desirable destination state at the end of the
Interstate 5 corridor, Thompson told the conference.