WE SALUTE N.C. LEADERS FOR SWIFT AND DECISIVE ACTIONS AGAINST
METHAMPHETAMINE

Every now and then, government actually works. Such was the case this
week when North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley signed into law new
legislation that provides tougher penalties for the production of
methamphetamine. Not only has government worked on this issue, it has
worked quickly. And that's wise, as the problem of meth has itself
spread quickly. Thumbs up go all around to law enforcement officers
and judicial officials for recognizing the problem, to the General
Assembly for crafting legislation to address it and to N.C. Attorney
General Roy Cooper and Gov. Easley for pursuing it.

Cooper said, "You usually think about illegal drugs being manufactured
in other countries, but with meth, it's in the house next door, the
apartment down the hall or even the hotel you're staying in."

Buncombe County District Attorney Roy Moore echoed the immediacy of
the problem, noting, "It's a very, very big danger to society, so it
needs a tougher punishment. People who are making meth are putting in
a scourge in the community that most won't recover from."

Meth is a problem that has spread like wildfire, only it's less benign
than wildfire. Five years ago, a grand total of nine meth labs were
investigated across the state. Last year in Watauga County alone, 34
such labs were discovered; 177 were found across the state.

This year so far, nearly 200 labs have been found. You can take every
horror story you've ever heard about illegal drugs, turn it into a
novel and name it meth. It's immediately and dangerously addictive,
with health impacts running quickly to death. It can be made from a
witches' brew of easily-obtained ingredients, it's explosive and it's
dirty. A pound of meth yields five to seven pounds of toxic leftovers
that require decontamination of the home or hotel where it's produced,
at a cost running in the thousands of dollars.

In addition to the impact on the producer and environment, it is also
poisoning our children. Nearly 70 kids were removed from meth labs
last year. Gov. Easley said, "Meth threatens our communities in ways
many other narcotics have not. This drug introduces new dangers of
explosion and toxic contamination to our homes, our communities and
our environment. With the help of this new law, North Carolina is
imposing tougher penalties for those involved with this dangerous drug."

According to the governor's office, Senate Bill 1054 will: * Increase
the penalty for the manufacture of meth from a Class H felony to a
Class C felony; * Increase the penalty for possession of ingredients
to make meth from a Class H to a Class F felony; * Allow distributors
of methamphetamine to be convicted of second-degree murder if a user
overdoses and dies; * Add two years to a convicted meth maker's
sentence if a law enforcement officer or other emergency worker is
injured in a meth lab bust; and * Increases the penalty for the
presence, exposure or endangerment of a child as a result of the
manufacturing of meth.

Also, the law establishes decontamination standards for meth-tainted
property. It's timely legislation. It won't win the fight against meth
alone, but it provides powerful tools in taking on this mushrooming
scourge.