STETSON STUDENT BUSTS METH MYTHS

DELAND -- William Collum knew methamphetamine ruined addicts' lives
but was surprised to read the drug also hurt innocent victims -- such
as a family that moved into a house where meth was once cooked. The
report showed how failure to clean the house properly left the air
toxic and sickened the family. A financial crisis, breakup and
divorce followed, said Collum, a Stetson University political science major.

"It was sad reading about the mother who could no longer touch her
family pictures because they were so contaminated," Collum said.

The article became the focus of a "dear colleague" letter Collum
helped draft in August 2005, when he served as a congressional intern
and worked with the Subcommittee for Criminal Justice, Drug Policy
and Human Resources in Washington D.C.

Collum's research for the letter prompted him to learn all he could
about the world of methamphetamine, a fast-growing, highly addictive
drug that users can make cheaply with ingredients that are easy to obtain.

He studied legislation to combat the drug, modes of ingestion,
manufacturing methods and the health risks posed to other people,
especially children, who live in homes where the chemicals are
processed to produce meth crystals.

"I was horrified to learn that the worst way to use meth is as an
enema. It is just horrible for the body," Collum said.

In November, the 20-year-old Stetson junior presented results of five
months of research on meth dubbed "De-Icing America: The Federal
Executive and Legislative response to the Methamphetamine Epidemic."
More than 150 students packed the university's Rinker Auditorium of
the Lynn Business Center to hear Collum speak.

"I certainly learned from his presentation," said Dr. T. Wayne
Bailey, professor of political science at the university. "It brought
home to the students, many of whom are not aware of the meth culture,
of how dangerous it is."

Sheriff's Office officials, who have been combating an increase in
meth manufacture and use in Volusia County, said Collum's work is a
welcome help in their efforts to educate the public.

The concern over dangerous gases in homes where the drug is made
prompted the Sheriff's Office to equip a six-member team with
protective gear to dismantle meth labs, said sheriff's spokesman
Brandon Haught.

"In a home or apartment where there have been multiple cooks, gases
get into the porousness of the structure and there is a real good
chance of people becoming sick," Haught said.

Haught said property owners are responsible to make structures safe
once law enforcement officials remove the chemicals.

"It never hurts to check the history of the place you are moving into
and ask the property owner questions," Haught said.

Properly cleaning the site of a meth lab can cost between $2,500 to
$10,000, Collum said.

Since 2001 there has been a rise in home-cooking labs and larger
labs, with 276 discovered and destroyed in Florida, Collum's research
showed. Nationwide, in 2003, there were 17,356. By 2005, that number
had declined to 12,484 but it is not yet known whether the dip is
temporary or indicative of a trend toward fewer labs.

Collum said he is pleased that laws have been passed to limit the
purchase of over-the-counter cold medication with ephedrine -- a key
ingredient in meth. Buyers are required to sign a log book at each
drugstore so authorities can monitor if they are amassing the
products to manufacture the drug.

"I think it is going to make a difference," Collum said. "It's really
a great approach to attacking the nation's meth problem.

[Sidebar]

Cleaning Up

Chemical residue from meth labs can permeate surfaces such as walls,
counters, floors and ceilings, as well as carpeting, ventilation
systems and drain pipes, tubs and sinks where chemicals are dumped.
Meth-making chemicals are known to cause cancer, respiratory
problems, short-term and long-term brain damage. Common household
cleaners can remove most residues, but surfaces that are visibly
contaminated, stained or give off an odor should be replaced.