REMEDY FOR A METH EPIDEMIC?

Officials: Drop In Lab Busts Suggests Restrictions On Cold-Pill Sales Help

The number of meth labs seized by police has plummeted in Indiana, a sign
that increased law enforcement and new restrictions on the sale of cold
medicines may be working, state officials said Wednesday. Methamphetamine
lab busts statewide have declined from a peak of 141 in March to 53 last month.

In July, a law went into effect requiring stores to keep many cold
medicines behind counters. That has put the ingredients pseudoephedrine and
ephedrine out of easy reach of meth makers.

While Gov. Mitch Daniels on Wednesday touted the progress made by law
enforcement and social service advocates, he also cautioned that meth is
still a problem in Indiana.

"Despite a lot of progress, I am under no illusions that we are in for
anything but a very long haul," he said.

Since cold medicine is harder to buy, meth users are being driven over
state lines, where it's easier to buy the ingredients to make the drug,
Daniels said. But shipments of meth produced in Mexico continue to flood
the state, he added.

Vincennes therapist Terry Jenkins, who is also the mental health officer at
the Knox County Jail, said the new law is making a dent in the problem --
but he said the key question is for how long. "Just because you eliminate
the drug doesn't mean you eliminate the addicts. That's where treatment
comes in," said Jenkins, who said Knox County has seen an increase in
cocaine arrests recently. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive,
easy-to-make drug that damages the central nervous system. Because users
can make it with household chemicals and cold medicines, police have
struggled to contain the spread of meth. Meth users are filling jails,
endangering children and causing environmental problems.

Following the lead of a growing number of states, Congress is debating
legislation that would put even tougher restrictions on the sale of cold
medicine nationwide.

Meth is a problem particularly in rural areas -- especially in the Midwest,
where more than half of the country's meth lab incidents occur, according
to a federal Drug Enforcement Administration study from 2004. To take a
broader approach to the problem, leaders from 13 states will come to
Indianapolis in December for a three-day meth summit as part of the
Midwestern Governors Association.

Governors, policymakers and law enforcement officers will discuss the most
effective ways to fight meth abuse.

In Indiana, the signs of progress include: The State Police have busted
794 meth labs this year, compared with 875 over the same time period last year.

The State Police drug-testing backlog has been cut nearly in half, which
is crucial to successfully prosecuting meth cases. The backlog has been
reduced to 4,404.

The first 22 inmates in a new prison meth rehab program called "Clean
Living Is Freedom Forever" will graduate today.

Later this week, the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute will help launch
the state's participation in the national "Meth Watch" program, which
encourages retailers to work closely with law enforcement to crack down on
meth abusers who use cold medicines to make their drug.