STATE OFFICIALS LOOK TO FIGHT METH USE

COLUMBIA (AP)--Law enforcement officers told South Carolina's attorney
general at a summit Monday that the state has a long way to go to combat
methamphetamine use.

"It's not as bad as it is in other states, but we need to get ready to
defeat this," said Attorney General Henry McMaster.

McMaster called more than 200 law enforcement officials and retailers
together for the first ever statewide meth summit after hearing from
officers that meth use is a growing problem.

Steve Surratt, a specialist with the National Drug Intelligence Center,
said the state should keep statewide statistics on meth cases.

"In order to address the problem, you must have numbers on the problem,"
Surratt said.

South Carolina tracks some cases but does not keep count of meth labs
cleaned up or unreported by county authorities, said Scott Bailey, special
agent with Drug Enforcement Administration.

DEA statistics show there were less than 10 meth labs in 2001, about 100 in
2002 and 130 in 2003. This year's numbers already show 100 labs.

The problem in South Carolina is that no central agency has all the
certified personnel needed for a meth bust, said Brian Cooley, an
investigator with Greenville County Sheriff's Office.

Summit members were in support of a meth watch program similar to one
started in Kansas, where retailers post "Meth Watch" signs on their store
windows and near over-the-counter cold and allergy medicines, which often
contain the primary ingredients needed to produce methamphetamine.