METH MAKERS MORE AKIN TO TERRORISTS THAN DRUGGIES

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 Tuesday, 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.