KEEP PRESSURE ON METH-MAKERS

Utah law-enforcement scored a major victory in the war on drugs over the
weekend. But the action that is believed to have brought down a major
methamphetamine ring was tempered by the knowledge of how prevalent the
meth scourge is in the state.

The extent to which meth is plaguing Utah was evident by the size of the
operation: more than 100 police officers and federal agents from 15
agencies, including six SWAT teams were involved in the bust, which
centered around three homes and two auto body shops in West Valley City.
The action culminated a six-month investigation and was part of West Valley
City's "Weed and Seed" initiative, where the goal is to weed out crime and
replace with it with positive influences.

This particular ring was very sophisticated. Police found the chemicals
stored in one location, the meth manufactured at another and the finished
product being sold at still another. Police spokesman Alan Kerstein called
it a cartel.

Methamphetamine use is proliferating because it's easy to produce. Raw
ingredients, chemical and household agents that can be purchased with
relative ease, are "cooked" at home. Because it's relatively cheap, it has
been described as the "poor-man's cocaine."

Regrettably, Utah led the nation in the proliferation of meth labs per
capita in 1998, and the problem has not diminished in the past two years,
as the aforementioned bust demonstrates. In fact it is becoming easier in
some ways to produce meth. Add the Internet to the crime-fighting
obstacles. Not only can "cooks" find recipes for making methamphetamine on
the Net, but they can also buy their supplies on it. At an increasing
number of busts, local law enforcement officers are finding receipts from
drugmakers' Internet purchases.

Utah's high production and usage, compared with other states, appears to be
primarily a factor of economics and a culture steeped in prescription drug
use. Many women use it for weight control and then become hooked. Some men
and women with stressful lifestyles are attracted to it and then become
addicted. There is no such thing as a safe dose of meth. It extracts a
physical, mental and emotional toll. It is a recipe for violence, with
extreme paranoia as one of its side-effects.

Federal, state and local funding, coupled with the kind of dedication
demonstrated in West Valley City, is needed to wage a successful war
against this insidious enemy.