METH LABS POSE NEW DRUG CHALLENGE

A short time ago, only a few people had ever heard of the drug
methamphetamine. Now, in the wake of extensive media coverage of meth
lab raids by drug agents in the region, the term, unfortunately, has
become familiar.

Methamphetamine means big trouble on two counts.

First, it is a powerful stimulant of the central nervous system that
is highly addictive. It can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken
orally and is available as pills, capsules, powder and chunks.

Second, methamphetamine typically is manufactured in makeshift home
drug labs, often by users for their own consumption. Because the
ingredients can include potentially explosive materials such as
lighter fluid or fertilizer, home labs are highly dangerous places.

Not only are the individuals who make methamphetamine at risk, but so
is anyone else in the house or nearby. Moreover, because of the
presence of hazardous materials, closed-down meth labs often require
sophisticated clean-up operations.

The fact that methamphetamine is typically "cooked" in makeshift labs
- -- as opposed to drugs like cocaine that are shipped in from abroad --
has posed a new challenge for drug agents. For instance, agents are
now on the lookout for people who buy large quantities of certain
materials or unusual combinations of such.

As Sgt. Steve Arrasmith of the Warren County Drug Task Force put it,
"A year ago, if one of our deputies stopped someone with five cans of
starting fluid and five boxes of Sudafed, they probably would not have
given it a second thought." But possession of such items now is a
telltale sign of meth lab activity.

In their effort to crack down on meth labs, authorities now are
enlisting the help of the business and agricultural communities to
identify people who are buying or stealing the ingredients for the
drug.

Methamphetamine is a dangerous substance in more than one respect, and
authorities should continue their vigorous crackdown against those
people who produce it.