METH ABUSE TEARING CHILDREN FROM HOMES

Local Manufacturing Slows, but Meth Being Trafficked From Mexico

Murphy - Meth abuse remains the primary drug problem in Cherokee
County, where 70 percent of children in Social Services' custody were
removed from their families because of substance abuse, Lisa Davis
said. Davis, who is director of the county's Department of Social
Services, said the government is forced to pay for these childrens'
immediate care. The cost of treating severe health problems that
afflict children born to mothers who abuse meth must also be covered.

Cherokee County Sheriff Keith Lovin said meth affects whole families,
unlike other drugs that affect only the user. Children residing in
homes with meth labs may become exposed to the hazardous materials,
such as brake fluid and battery acid, used to manufacture the drug.
"It's very addictive, it's very dangerous," he said. "Meth affects the
whole family unit."

Lovin said meth is a greater problem than other drugs because it is
more addictive. Nationwide, nearly half of law enforcment officials
consider methamphetamine abuse to be a bigger problem than cocaine,
heroin and marijuana combined, according to a national survey.

A lot of progress has been made to decrease manufacturing the drug,
Lovin said. Cherokee County deputies were the first in the state to be
trained to disassemble meth labs.

"We're not finding [meth labs] anymore because we don't think people
are doing it," he said.

Lovin's assessment is consisent with federal Drug Enforcement
Administration statistics that revealed a 30 percent drop the past
year in meth lab seizures. Meth manufacturing may have slowed in the
county, but the abuse still exists because the drug continues to find
its way into the county. Chief Deputy Tom Frye said at least 80
percent of the meth now in the county originated in superlabs in Mexico.

Law enforcement has been working with community activists to continue
their efforts to decrease drug abuse even further. The Coalition for a
Safe and Drug-Free Cherokee County recently received about $36,000 in
grants. Frye said the money will be used to pay for a coalition
coordinator, an anti-drug billboard and student education services.

The coalition's next meeting is at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 1 at
Marble Springs Baptist Church on U.S. 19/74.