COMMITMENT TO WAR ON METHAMPHETAMINE REMAINS STRONG

The U.S. attorney's office will hold a community forum at Blandford Lecture
Hall at Owensboro Community College today to discuss the problem of
methamphetamine trafficking in western Kentucky. This meeting will review
the progress we have made in the fight against meth.

This effort began 11 months ago when I came to Owensboro to talk with a
group of concerned citizens and law enforcement officers about an emerging
community problem -- the illegal production, consumption and trafficking of
methamphetamine.

I heard from police officers and prosecutors about how clandestine
methamphetamine labs were springing up all over western Kentucky. I heard
from ministers, teachers and family counselors about how this deadly poison
was transforming their beautiful children into empty shells of who they
were before.

Methamphetamine had become a problem in western Kentucky because meth is
not just any illegal drug. It is a derivative of amphetamine and acts in
some ways like the body's natural adrenaline. It acts as a powerful
stimulant to the central nervous system.

It gives a longer lasting "high" than cocaine or crack, and it gives the
user feelings of euphoria, increased energy and a reduced appetite.

Unfortunately, it also causes paranoia, depression, hallucinations, drastic
mood swings, seizures and, in some cases, death.

Meth had become a problem in western Kentucky also because it can be made
here from ingredients that are readily available.

Cocaine has to be grown in South America and imported through Mexico or the
Caribbean. One of the primary ingredients of meth, anhydrous ammonia, is a
fertilizer found on farms all over western Kentucky.

Making meth here in our own backyards imposes additional costs on our
community. Every pound of finished product creates six pounds of toxic
waste. The materials are highly explosive, and the dangerous combination of
chemicals used to make meth can cause serious health risks to law
enforcement officers who are not trained properly to dismantle a lab.

We announced our program "Operation United Front" in July. This effort
sought to combine vigorous enforcement of criminal laws, intensive
education and outreach efforts and encouraging treatment programs for addicts.

Nearly one year later, I am greatly encouraged by the results of our work.
We are aggressively uncovering meth labs and prosecuting the traffickers.
State, local and federal officers have taken more than 500 labs out of
commission in the last 10 months. Federal prosecutions of meth cases have
increased by 400 percent, and state prosecutions have been consistently high.

We have trained 70 law enforcement officers on the proper procedures to
enter labs, and outfitted them with equipment to do their work.

We have opened a staffed branch office in western Kentucky for two new
prosecutors, and they are already busy prosecuting meth cases.

We have worked just as hard to educate the public about the dangers of
methamphetamine. We have conducted more than 100 training sessions for
police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers to teach them what to
do if they find a meth lab. We have trained retail store owners how to
prevent meth producers from obtaining precursor chemicals.

We have taught ministers, so they can teach their congregations. We have
spoken to nearly 4,000 students at schools all around western Kentucky. We
have placed seven billboards in Daviess County depicting the dangers of
meth use.

None of this could have happened without the overwhelming support we have
received from the entire community. Vivian Simmons and Karen Thompson have
played vital roles in planning our strategy. The local media, especially
the Messenger-Inquirer and OCC Community TV, have performed a true public
service in getting our message out to the community.

We have been especially well-served by our representatives in Congress.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Ed Whitfield and Rep. Ron Lewis have enabled us
to receive nearly $3 million in federal grants to pay for equipment,
training and cleaning up hazardous lab sites.

We could not have made any inroads into fighting this drug without this
help from our congressional delegation.

In all my years of law enforcement, I have never seen such a display of
concern for the community and fellow neighbors as I have witnessed in this
community. With the continued support to local law enforcement and the good
people of this community at large, I am certain we will prevail in ending
the effects of this terrible drug.

As my term as the U.S. attorney comes to an end, I take great pride in the
work that we have done to stop meth trafficking. Although my term will end
in a few weeks, I am confident that the united front we have formed to
fight this drug will remain intact. Our partners are too committed, too
dedicated and too energized to let up now.

We have not yet reached the turning point on this drug, but we can see it
from here.

Steven S. Reed is the U.S. attorney for the western district of Kentucky.