METH-MAKERS COOK UP BIG TOXIC MESS

Methamphetamine is most often a powder, usually white or off-white. It can
be snorted, smoked, injected or taken orally.

Another form, methamphetamine hydrochloride, comes in chunks like rock
candy and is called ice, crystal or glass. It is purer and more expensive
than powdered meth.

There are no legitimate medical uses for meth, said Jack Como, a pharmacist
who is director of drug information for UAB Hospital. The drug is not
produced commercially.

Meth is a chemical cousin of amphetamines, which were used in
over-the-counter "pep pills" in the 1950s and now are available only by
prescription.

A crucial difference between the two drugs is that meth moves from the
blood stream into the brain much more quickly, delivering a first buzz that
users never forget.

"A junkie will tell you it's better than sex. It's better than watching
your children do something wonderful," said Rob Savage, director of the
Marshall County drug task force.

Meth is cheaper than crack cocaine, he said. Both drugs sell for about $100
per gram, and a single dose is generally one-quarter gram. But that one hit
will keep a meth user high for at least four hours, sometimes much longer,
while the buzz from crack lasts an hour or less.

Two basic methods are used to cook meth, but both require pseudoephedrine
or ephedrine - the primary ingredients in many cold medicines - and a
variety of other household agents.

Most of the home laboratories produce less than an ounce of the drug per
production cycle, which takes hours. Andalusia Police Chief Wilbur Williams
said it costs about $150 to buy the ingredients needed to make $1,000 worth
of meth.

Some meth cooks boast about their skills, said Darrell Collins, commander
of DeKalb County's drug task force. "They like to feel they're the best
cook," Collins said. "We had one guy we arrested who stuck out his chest
and popped off that he was the best cook on Sand Mountain."

Any way they make it, the cooks leave behind a toxic mess. The production
of one pound of meth yields six to seven pounds of toxic waste, officials
say. Cleanup is generally handled by a contractor hired by the Drug
Enforcement Administration. It typically costs taxpayers $3,000 to $5,000
to remove and dispose of the contaminants from a homemade meth lab.

Counties without large metropolitan areas, including Marshall, DeKalb,
Jackson, Cullman and Covington, have reported high numbers of labs for
several years. Officers say that's partly because the strong odors are less
likely to be detected in remote areas, where disposal of the waste is also
easier.

But Jim Winn, commander of the drug task force that serves Madison and
Morgan counties, said his officers are finding more labs in urban areas as
cooks are refining their methods and making smaller quantities, making it
easier to produce in cities.

"We're seeing about one-half of the labs now in metropolitan areas, motels
and apartments," Winn said. "It's more adaptable to an urban environment."