METH MAKERS CLOSE COUSINS TO TERRORISTS

There are terrorists in our midst. Not those who tried to bring down
airliners - terrorists in this area.

What's more, they likely don't realize they are terrorists. On Aug.
8, two men were arrested for making a meth lab in their vehicle.

These two individuals were pulled over on Niles Road near I-94, and
an alert officer of the Berrien County Sheriff's Department noticed
the smell of chemicals used for making methamphetamine. Now, many may
read this and say, "Wait a minute, those men were drug dealers - not
terrorists."

Well, they may not intend to be terrorists, but it is their actions
that make them so. Here's how.

Meth labs are usually poorly constructed or devised facilities found
in kitchens, basements, outdoor shacks and the like, used to "cook
down" over-the-counter cold medications to extract the methamphetamine.

These labs - and the term "lab" is used loosely since the sites are
neither controlled or sterile - often contain hazardous chemicals,
propane tanks, volatile liquids and many other potentially dangerous items.

These labs also have a tendency to explode and burn.

Department of Justice figures show that 15 percent of meth labs are
found as a result of fire or explosion.

When an explosion kills one of the drug makers, it's no big deal -
one less pusher in the world.

When an innocent person or a first responder is killed, it's angering.

But now that the crankheads are taking this deadly show on the road,
it's downright frightening.

Imagine sitting at a red light or pulling into a grocery store
parking lot just in time to see an adjacent car explode. Now imagine
that happening while walking by with children.

A stationary meth lab, if known, can be avoided, raided and properly destroyed.

A meth lab in a vehicle is basically a bomb on wheels that can go
just about anywhere.

Of course, motivations may be different - the "typical" terrorist is
often a revolutionary or a religious zealot looking to further a
fanatical agenda.

A meth maker is either interested in his next high or - if he hasn't
been completely fried by his chemical abuse - making money illicitly.

Like many drug sales, meth pushing is a lucrative illegal business.
Some estimates suggest $50 in cold medicine and household chemicals
can produce hundreds of dollars worth of the dangerous drug.

A crankhead may not be looking for the violent overthrow of society -
their interests are entirely self-serving, and in many ways, this
makes them much worse.

The only thing that is worse is that they live among us.

Recently, many states have begun placing limits on the amount of OTC
cold medicines that can be purchased at one time, or they have taken
other measures to stop the proliferation of meth labs.

In June 2005, Michigan joined this list when the House passed a bill
requiring those purchasing cold medicines to present indentification.
This bill also banned sale of these medicines to anyone under 18. The
state has good cause to take such action, considering the number of
meth labs discovered in Michigan grew from six in 1996 to 209 in
2004. Talk about a real cottage industry.

What is irritating, though, is these limits are placed on everyone -
law-abiding citizens and criminals alike.

Thanks to the actions of a few, we all have been affected.

All illegal drug use is a drain on society, considering the lost
productivity of the drug users as well as the related health care and
law enforcement costs.

Add in the devastation visited upon families of the afflicted and we
have a national tragedy.

Meth makers step the danger up yet another level. They have taken the
danger of unintentionally being caught up in drug violence not only
next door to us, but now to the parking lots of our grocery stores,
our gas stations, even our schools.

More needs to be done to remove this scourge from our streets. The
police already have their hands full combating this growing problem,
and the state has responded by limiting the public in general.

Those making meth need to be identified early on so they can be
stopped. More importantly, those who choose to abuse methamphetamine
in the first place must be identified so they can get the help they
so desperately need.

Unfortunately, there is no simple solution to the problem.

Therefore, constant vigilance will be required of all of us
- -particularly of the cars around us.