CONGRESS TAKING ON METH EPIDEMIC

Laws Would Limit Cold Medicine Sales, Address Funding, Cleanups

WASHINGTON - Its stench can burn your nose 50 yards away.

Methamphetamine cooks mix together such ingredients as anhydrous ammonia,
paint thinner and automobile brake cleaner to create the drug that has
become one of the most prevalent in America.

"It's a smell you won't ever forget," said Botie Hillhouse, a sheriff's
narcotics investigator in Henderson County in East Texas. He said he
sometimes discovers meth labs just by driving down the road with his
windows open.

Now the stench has drifted to Capitol Hill and caught the attention of
lawmakers, who are proposing legislation that would try to halt the meth
epidemic.

One effort is aimed at controlling the purchase of over-the-counter cold
medicines that contain pseudoephedrine, a main meth ingredient. Last month,
a Texas law went into effect that puts those cold medicines behind the
counter and requires stores to limit the amount purchased. The
congressional measure would do the same nationwide.

Other congressional legislation proposed would help address mounting lab
costs and set standards for cleanups. That kind of legislation would be
heaven-sent for Henderson County.

Fire Marshall Bobby Calder said his county's biggest challenge is paying
for the damage the labs leave behind.

"We end up with cylinder after cylinder of anhydrous ammonia," he said.
"And there's no way to dispose of it unless we can get some big Dallas
company to come out and charge us thousands of dollars to do it."

For every pound of meth made, at least 5 pounds of hazardous waste are left
behind. Trying to clean up the seized labs can be an environmental and
economic nightmare.

Cleaning a lab usually costs around $2,000 but can cost as much as
$150,000, said Rusty Payne, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

After a hazardous materials team has removed the chemicals from a lab site,
it is up to the property owner to ensure that the area is suitable for use.
Sometimes the only way to do that is to rebuild.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, is backing a measure to create
national standards for making meth-lab areas habitable.

Last year, at least 395 meth labs and dumping sites were cleaned up in
Texas at a cost of $825,000, Mr. Payne said. Nationally, about $19 million
was spent on more than 10,000 meth cleanups.

Congress allocates about $20 million annually for cleanups. The Senate bill
that cracks down on cold medicine also provides an additional $15 million
that could be used for cleanups and training. So far, the DEA has trained
8,600 state and local law enforcement professionals at a cost of at least
$37.5 million.

The bill also sets aside an additional $5 million to create a rapid
response team to remove children found in hazardous labs. The DEA estimates
more than 3,000 children were found in labs last year.

Another Senate proposal, introduced by Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., would
allow the Treasury Department's Forfeiture Fund to be used by state and
local authorities to clean up meth labs. Private owners would also benefit
if they had no prior knowledge of a meth lab on their property.

The White House long has placed marijuana at the top of its drug control
list because of its widespread use.

Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Houston, said the White House needs to rearrange
its priorities.

"I don't think I've heard of any marijuana gardens blowing up," she said.
Under fire from critics who said the administration was continuing to
ignore the meth problem, the White House dispatched three top officials to
Nashville last month to talk about what they are doing to fight meth.

Drug czar John Walters said his office is backing the legislation to limit
the purchase of cold medicine. He also announced plans to launch an
anti-meth ad campaign.

Attorney General Al Gonzales also spoke of meth's impact and the growing
importance of the fight against the drug, and Health and Human Services
Secretary Mike Leavitt announced grants for meth abuse treatment.

Larry Naake, executive director of the National Association of Counties,
said the White House should take an even tougher stance.

"We really didn't see any new initiatives to support any new legislation,"
he said. "There doesn't appear to be any new funding here."

His association released a study last month finding that 60 percent of the
nation's counties say meth is their largest drug problem.