DEA HEAD HIGHLIGHTS THE DANGERS OF METH

INDIANAPOLIS -- The head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration began
a cross-country tour focusing on methamphetamine abuse yesterday in
Indianapolis, which authorities say is a hub for transportation of the
illegal drug across the nation.

Meth production is a booming cottage industry -- Indiana State Police
reported dismantling 681 meth labs last year. But as much as 70 percent of
the drug sold in the state is cooked in "super labs," mostly in California,
DEA Director Asa Hutchinson said at a statewide conference.

Whether made on the West Coast or cooked in someone's garage in Indiana, "I
believe in rural America, it is the number one drug problem," Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson spoke to about 500 police officers, prosecutors, and school and
health officials from around Indiana. He was beginning a three-month,
32-state tour focusing on the meth problem.

Methamphetamine -- a stimulant dubbed "speed," "crank," "crystal meth" and
"glass" on the streets -- has surpassed cocaine in popularity in rural
areas and is gaining use in cities, experts say. It produces a euphoria
similar to that of cocaine but lasts longer and is more addictive. It can
be snorted, smoked or injected.

Compared with other drugs, meth is easy to make, and the price has come
down -- from an estimated $1,420 per ounce in 1995 to $1,265 in 1999.

Those who attended the daylong conference heard presentations on meth's
effects, how it is made, the hazards posed by the drug's production and
ways to treat those addicted.

Authorities suspect Indianapolis, where four interstate highways converge,
is a hub for distribution of the drug, State Police Superintendent Mel
Carraway said.

As quickly as large-scale meth dealers are prosecuted, smaller, homegrown
labs seem to pop up to replace them, said Susan Brooks, the U.S. attorney
for Southern Indiana. State police estimate they will dismantle 800 meth
labs this year.

The solution, Hutchinson said, is to attack the demand as well as the supply.

Courts should offer treatment as an alternative to prison for nonviolent
drug offenders, and businesses' drugtesting policies must also include
remedial treatment for employees who test positive, Hutchinson said.