METHODIST PROGRAM TO BATTLE METH LABS

Congress has awarded Methodist University nearly $400,000 in federal
money to develop a program to teach people to detect and destroy
illegal methamphetamine labs.

The labs are a growing problem in North Carolina, particularly in
some of the rural counties around Fayetteville.

The money for the Methodist program is an earmark in the omnibus
spending bill Congress approved just before Christmas.

Methodist officials said they will use the money -- $399,500 -- to
buy equipment for the Methamphetamine Education Training Project. The
program's goal is to provide training for police and others how to
identify and handle the volatile chemicals that are associated with
meth labs. The chemicals are an explosive threat and can release
toxic fumes. And the waste products of meth production are an
environmental hazard. Methodist officials are scheduled to meet
Thursday to discuss the grant and to develop the next steps for the
program, university spokeswoman Melissa Jameson said.

Four Methodist professors in criminal justice, chemistry and
environmental management programs are developing the training.

"Our faculty members are developing this training program in response
to the needs of the local community and the state of North Carolina
to increase advanced technology used in the field," University
President Elton Hendricks said. Methodist's program comes as more
meth labs are popping up near Cumberland County. According to
December statistics from the State Bureau of Investigation, 41
counties reported meth labs last year. Two counties that border
Cumberland -- Harnett, with 13, and Sampson, with nine -- are second
and fourth, respectively, in the number of labs in the state.
Cumberland County had two labs in 2007, SBI statistics show.

Debbie Tanna, spokeswoman for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office,
said meth's addictive qualities and toxic vapors made the drug
dangerous. She said that investigators have learned that some meth
sellers are forgoing the traditional meth lab production and are
producing and selling the drug from the back of vehicles, posing a
new challenge for investigators.