METH LAB SEIZURES DOWN, BUT IMPORTED MEXICAN METH IS A GROWING CONCERN

Nashville Red Cross Tennessee has made major progress over the past
year in combating methamphetamine, according to state law enforcement
officials.

Through initiatives like the Meth-Free Tennessee Act, the Meth
Offender Registry, and educational campaigns like the Tennessee
District Attorneys General Conference's Meth Destroys Campaign,
Tennessee has seen a significant drop in meth lab seizures, and a
general increase in awareness about the drug's dangers.

Meth labs are highly toxic, extremely combustible, and are often
found in homes, trailers or cars. The labs usually contain
ingredients such as acid, lye, phosphorus, iodine, ammonia and other
dangerous and even deadly chemicals. Meth labs pose an immediate
threat to everyone in proximity of the site, particularly small
children who can ingest poisons or be burned by chemicals spilled in the house.

In 2004 and 2005 Tennessee ranked second in the United States for
meth lab seizures. This year, lab seizures are down nearly 50 percent
according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, a strong
indicator that domestic production of meth has substantially
declined. The South/East Methamphetamine Task Force is also seeing
less meth production, and reported a drop from 660 meth lab seizures
through April in 2005 to 286 seizures through the same time in 2006.

The decrease in lab busts is being partially attributed to the
Meth-Free Tennessee Act, which was signed into law March 30, 2005.
The act forced critical meth ingredients like pseudoephedrine behind
drug store counters, requires record-keeping of all pseudoephedrine
product purchases, and increased penalties for meth production and
use. The act also created the Meth Offender Registry to track all new
processed meth cases to warn neighbors, landlords and communities
about meth users in their area. Separate from the legislation, state
funds were allocated to implement a statewide education campaign
about the dangers of meth and to provide meth lab-response training
to law enforcement.

"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 meth 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."

Though these initiatives have made Tennessee safer from domestic meth
production, the battle against meth is far from over. According to
the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, much of the
methamphetamine used in Tennessee is now being transported from
Mexico and the Southwest border area. The DEA anticipates an increase
of meth use in Tennessee as the drug gains popularity over crack cocaine.

"We are very pleased with the tremendous progress Tennessee has made
in the fight against this drug," said District Attorney Jim Ramsey.
"It is my hope that everyone in our community understands the
importance of learning how meth destroys lives, and how they can help
make Tennessee meth-free."

The Meth Destroys campaign, organized by the Tennessee DAs, has been
vigorously fighting meth through education since November of last
year. Since the campaign launch just eight months ago, the DAs have
created the www.MethFreeTN.org Web site, which has received more than
three million hits, adult and youth brochures, a teacher's guide,
DVD, and a number of workplace and field-specific materials, like the
"Meth Mouth Symptoms Sheet," which was distributed to dentists
throughout Tennessee. The DAs are encouraging all Tennesseans to
visit the Web site to learn more about how meth destroys lives,
families and communities.

"The district attorneys' education campaign has shown us how hungry
Tennesseans are for information about the dangerous drug, and how
much people want to help in the fight against it," said Ramsey. "If
this initiative keeps even one person from ever trying meth, this
entire effort will have been worth it."

Meth Destroys is a methamphetamine education campaign organized by
the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference and funded by a
grant from the governor's office. It includes outreach efforts by the
district attorneys in Tennessee's 95 counties to schools, businesses,
and community and state organizations. For more information about
Meth Destroys, visit www.MethFreeTN.org.