SCRATCH AND SNIFF CARDS MAY AID ILLINOIS IN METH FIGHT

A bill passed last week by the Illinois House could give law
enforcement an unlikely - and malodorous - tool in the growing
campaign to curb escalating methamphetamine use: "scratch 'n sniff"
cards.

The cards, when scratched, would emit the odor of anhydrous ammonia,
an ingredient used in the methamphetamine production process that
smells distinctively like cat urine. They would be distributed, by the
Illinois State Police and the Board of Education, to teachers, school
employees and day-care center employees to help them identify children
who have been exposed to meth, the bill says.

"Most people haven't smelled meth," said state Rep. Michael P.
McAuliffe, R-Chicago, who introduced the bill in late February,
adding, "Not too many people know about this drug, and it's
everywhere."

McAuliffe said last week that despite the rapid growth in meth use and
production in Illinois, few people can detect the signs of addiction
or exposure, particularly exposure to children. Many children,
McAuliffe explained, live in homes where meth is produced or smoked
and absorb the smell in their hair, skin and clothes.

"The teacher might say, 'How many cats do you have at home?'"
McAuliffe demonstrated. "The student could say, 'We don't have any
cats.'"

That, McAuliffe explained, might prompt the teacher or day-care
employee to advise law enforcement authorities, who, in turn, could
talk to the child. Based on that conversation, police could
investigate the parents, and perhaps, develop enough information to
obtain a search warrant, McAuliffe said.

The idea for the cards came from the House Republican Methamphetamine
Crisis Task Force, which held hearings across the state last year to
develop ideas for tackling the meth problem. The bill, which moved to
the state Senate last week, is one of several that House Republicans
have introduced to address meth use and production, McAuliffe said.

McAuliffe explained there are no prototypes for the cards and it's not
yet clear what they would look like or how many would be produced. To
his knowledge, McAuliffe said, no such cards exist in other states.

On Friday, another meth-related bill, spearheaded by Sen. Bill Haine,
D-East Alton, passed the Senate. That bill, the Methamphetamine
Control and Community Protection Act, focuses on meth production.
Among other things, the bill would require those who manufacture meth
in the presence of a child to face mandatory jail time.

Haine said Friday that he was intrigued by McAuliffe's legislation,
but concerned about the prospect of law enforcement developing
probable cause for a search based solely on a smell.

"It's interesting. It could be helpful," Haine said, adding, "It's
certainly a novel approach."