NEW TOOL UNVEILED TO FIGHT METH

Fertilizer Additive Makes It Useless To Meth Cookers

DES MOINES -- Gov. Tom Vilsack has a message for people who want to
manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine -- don't bother.

Vilsack and other public officials unveiled a new additive to the
fertilizer anhydrous ammonia that renders it useless to meth-makers
who would steal it from farms and use it to cook the illegal drug.

"It is an important day for safer communities and safer children in
our state," Vilsack said at a news conference on the steps of the
State Capitol with a tank of anhydrous ammonia as a backdrop.

Retailers expect the practice of injecting calcium nitrate into
anhydrous ammonia tanks will gain wide acceptance. Vilsack said the
discovery will reduce the theft of anhydrous ammonia and cut the
amount of meth produced in the state.

Iowa State University researchers George Kraus and John Verkade, both
chemistry professors, tried dozens of combinations before finding
that calcium nitrate was effective.

"We were investigating a whole raft of compounds, and finally we
ended up taking what's called the 'Edisonian' approach: you try
everything you can to make the light bulb light," Verkade said.

Ag retailers who participate in the voluntary program will receive a
supply of the additive calcium nitrate, as well as "Stop Meth" signs
they can place on their anhydrous tanks.

Vilsack said the latest discovery, which won't harm farm equipment or
the environment, will help keep Iowa at the forefront of dealing with
the meth issue.

The state already has put in place restrictions on the sale of
pseudoephedrine, a common ingredient in cold medicine that is the key
component in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

That has reduced the number of illegal meth labs shut down by law
enforcement in Iowa by 77 percent.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, along with other members of Iowa's
congressional delegation, helped secure more than $1 million for
research into the ammonia additive. Harkin said it provides a
creative solution to the problem that is easier than locks on
anhydrous ammonia tanks.

"You can do one or the other, and I guess if you really want to be
safe, you can do them both," Harkin said.

Despite those weapons against meth making, the state has a long way
to go in the fight against a drug that breaks up families, Harkin said.

"We all know how bad it is, the enormous strain it is putting on our
local law enforcement resources, and putting them at great risk. So
we have to continue to find ways to stop the meth from coming into
the state," Harkin said.

Close to 90 percent of the meth found in Iowa is brought in from
out-of-state rather than manufactured here, said Marvin Van Haaftan,
director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy.

But he said the restrictions on anhydrous ammonia and pseudoephedrine
help ease concern among Iowans that amateur meth makers could cause
an explosion in their apartment buildings or expose children to the
dangerous fumes.

Instead of using anhydrous ammonia, meth makers could potentially use
red phosphorous, although it is a more complicated process and less
common, Van Haaftan said.

"Our cooks in Iowa love the anhydrous meth. It's quick and easy, and
it's potent," Van Haaftan said.