THE MANY FRONTS OF METH

Complex problems with methamphetamine in this country continue to grow.
This state can certainly attest to the difficulties of waging the battle
against the drug.

Experts say meth use by workers and job applicants in the United States has
jumped by 68% from last year. That puts meth on a pace to pass cocaine
sometime this year as the drug of choice, according to one report.

In Tennessee, a task force is working on ways to confront the meth problem,
but while new rules for cleanups of meth labs are in the works, the state
may not have the financial resources necessary to do the job, officials
say. The state Department of Environment and Conservation has been working
on rules for cleanups. Tennessee had 1,253 meth lab sites cleaned up last
year, the highest total in the nation for the third straight year.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Children's Services says that with its
workload it probably won't have the time to give an updated account of
children in Tennessee who are exposed to methamphetamine. State officials
want updated figures so they can help measure the cost of the war against
the drug. The task force is expected to make recommendations by Sept. 1.

The many facets of the meth issue say something about the magnitude of the
problem. Meth threatens to overwhelm state authorities just as it is
overwhelming the people who become addicted to the drug. State officials
who have dealt specifically with the problem have been sounding alarms.
Gradually, they are getting attention. But resources and a long-term
commitment to addressing the meth problem are crucial. Public awareness
should spur the state to give the issue more priority. Lives and
livelihoods are at stake.