GOVERNOR DISPATCHES TRAILERS TO AREA DRUG TASK FORCES

The Effort Is Aimed At Fighting Rural Meth Labs.

Gov. Mel Carnahan announced Friday that six methamphetamine cleanup trailers
were dispatched to drug task forces in northeastern and central Missouri,
which includes Boone County.

The trailers will be used by law enforcement agencies to properly dispose of
hazardous materials found at illegal drug labs.

Carnahan met with top officials from the Department of Public Safety and the
Department of Natural Resources and with representatives from local drug
task forces from across the state Friday at the Jefferson City Police
Department to discuss the trailers.

Every pound of meth created results in five pounds of toxic waste. Labs are
often located in rural areas because of the strong odors from the "cooking"
process.

"Many people still wrongly believe that meth is a big-city problem --
something you find in St. Louis, Kansas City or Springfield," Carnahan said
in a prepared statement. "But one meth study showed that people in rural
areas are 104 percent more likely to be involved with meth than people
living in large cities."

The state purchased 25 of the $15,000 Methamphetamine Clandestine Lab
Response Trailers.

Police tracked down and disassembled 900 meth labs in Missouri last year, a
dramatic increase from the three labs seized in 1992.

Carnahan signed what some consider to be the nation's toughest
methamphetamine law in 1998.

The law increased the penalties for processing drugs and for possessing
materials used to produce meth. The law also resulted in the establishment
of drug courts across the state.