METH A RISK TO STATE

AG: Declining Funds Problem

APPLETON - Declining drug enforcement funding could leave Wisconsin
communities at high risk as methamphetamine continues to creep across the
state's borders, State Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager warned Tuesday.

Lautenschlager addressed police and other public officials Tuesday morning
at a statewide summit on methamphetamine. Law enforcement, crime lab
analysts, teachers and others gathered at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel
to discuss the drug and its trafficking patterns and further develop a plan
to attack the spread of the cheap and highly addictive stimulant.

The summit continues today.

Methamphetamine can be made in homes or even vehicles with over-the-counter
medications and common household chemicals.

Users crave the stimulant even as it attacks their body and mind. Addicts
can't hide their addiction as their tissue reproduction slows, leaving
symptoms including gum disease. Meth also attacks the brain, leaving users
with short-term memory loss, and often, extreme paranoia.

The state Legislature now has two bills pending that would toughen meth
laws. It's not enough, Lautenschlager said.

"It's good to pass laws, but you need someone to enforce them,"
Lautenschlager said.

Goals of the summit include developing better communication between law
enforcement to catch traffickers and better education to warn residents of
the drug's dangers.

Wisconsin at some level has been lucky.

Last year, state, local and federal authorities broke up 74 clandestine
meth labs in Wisconsin, according to the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration. Michigan had 282 labs discovered while Minnesota had 165.
There were 926 in Illinois and 1,300 in Iowa.

Most of Wisconsin's lab activity has been concentrated in western and
northern areas of the state, but there's fear it could become more frequent
in areas including Milwaukee and the Fox Valley.

Craig Bruesewitz, a counselor with Oshkosh's Nova Counseling Services, said
he hasn't seen an influx yet. In fact, he hasn't had a meth-addicted client
in several years. Often, meth in our area is a fallback for cocaine addicts
and others who can't obtain their drug of choice, he said.

But our region has had some experience.

In May 2003, hazardous materials workers deconstructed a meth lab at a home
in Menasha. Earlier that year, Little Chute authorities disassembled a lab
in a duplex apartment. North Fond du Lac emergency crews dealt with four
clandestine meth labs in recent years.

State legislators hope to attack the growing problem on two fronts.

One bill would allow officials to terminate parental rights in cases where
a parent makes methamphetamine with a child present. Another bill would
work to tighten ingredient sources by requiring residents to present
identification to purchase pseudophedrine cold remedies. It also would
limit amounts available for purchase. Pseudophedrine is a key meth ingredient.

Lautenschlager hopes officials will attack the problem beyond the statute
books.

Federal grant money is being diverted away from drug enforcement, the state
budget is tight and local governments also face the need to cut back on
services, she said. The infiltration of meth would be challenging even with
proper funding. Wisconsin now faces a growing drug problem "with one hand
tied behind our back."

Meth carries challenges authorities don't see with other dangerous
narcotics, Lautenschlager said.

"It's cheap, it's easy to make, you can get the recipe on the Internet and
if you have a microwave, you're ready to go," she said.