METH LAB SEIZURES DOWN SHARPLY IN STATE, BUT POLICE NOT LETTING UP

For the last two years, Tennessee has ranked second in the nation for
having the highest number of methamphetamine lab seizures. This year,
that should change.

Meth lab seizures are down nearly 50 percent in 2006, according to
the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. That, officials said, is a
strong indicator that domestic production of the drug has declined
substantially.

"Meth is still a major issue in Tennessee, however, we are pleased
that we are seeing fewer labs this year than in years past," said TBI
Director Mark Gwyn. "If we can curb the number of domestic labs, we
will be able to protect many innocent children from being exposed,
burned or possibly killed because of a parent's decision to cook meth
in the home."

Much of the progress in battling meth in Tennessee over the past year
has come through initiatives like the Meth Free Tennessee Act, which
was signed into law in March 2005. The law forced critical meth
ingredients like pseudoephedrine behind drug store counters and
increased penalties for meth production and use. The act also created
the Meth Offender Registry to track all new processed meth cases in
an effort to warn neighbors, landlords and communities about meth
users and manufacturers in their area.

The state also allocated funds to implement a statewide education
campaign about the dangers of meth and to provide meth lab-response
training to law enforcement. The education campaign, Meth Destroys,
was organized by the state's district attorneys general and has been
fighting meth since November 2005 through various methods, including
visits to area schools, providing brochures and guides to individuals
and the launch of www.MethFreeTN.org, a Web site dedicated to
teaching people about how meth destroys lives, families and communities.

"We created these materials to educate Tennesseans about the
destructive power of this drug," District Attorney General Joe
Crumley said. "If we can provide even one person with the information
to never try meth, or protect one child from ever having to live in a
home where meth is being produced, this effort will have been worth it."

While domestic production of meth seems to be on a downward slide,
that doesn't mean meth is going away. According to the Drug
Enforcement Administration, much of the meth used in Tennessee is now
being transported from Mexico and the Southwest border area.

In fact, 1st Judicial District Drug Task Force agents previously have
said that the production of meth also may still find its way back
into Tennessee thanks to the black markets of bordering countries.
Instead of the drug itself being transported from foreign countries,
some agents believe that large quantities of pseudoephedrine could be
brought in, allowing access to the ingredient for meth manufacturers.

Despite the challenges that remain, most law enforcement officials
seem to agree that Tennessee has made laudable strides in combating
the drug and its production and they hope the 2006 statistics will
prove just that.