TASK FORCE ASKS FOR INPUT ON PROTOCOL

Nine people working to develop protocols to deal with Henderson
County's methamphetamine problem met for the first time Tuesday to
discuss what to do when the drug is found in a home.

In a meeting at Mountain Laurel on Fleming Street, the committee,
half of the newly formed Methamphetamine Task Force, began looking at
ways to react to a confirmed or suspected meth lab. Talks centered on
who agencies should turn to for help with the problem, which has
skyrocketed in Henderson County in the past five years.

In 1999, Sheriff's Department drug detectives investigated six meth
cases, seizing $3,855 worth of the drug. Last year, they investigated
122 meth cases and seized $201,722. From January through June of this
year, detectives already have worked 67 meth cases and seized $220,425.

The highly addictive stimulant has effects similar to cocaine but is
cheaper and lasts longer. Made from a combination of cold medicine
and toxic household chemicals, meth can be "cooked" anywhere but
usually in rural areas because its ingredients are highly flammable
and costly to clean up.

Many agencies already have protocols in place for reacting to meth
labs. Committee members said Tuesday they plan to compile those,
adjust them for Henderson County if necessary and then determine what
other policies are needed.

"Each individual agency needs to have their own protocol and we need
to make sure they don't conflict," said Barbara Stanley, Henderson
County Public Health Nursing Director.

Most existing protocols already involve law enforcement, who should
be called immediately if someone finds or suspects a meth lab, said
Lt. Steve Carter, head of drug investigations for the Henderson
County Sheriff's Department.

Frequent police intervention emphasizes the need for tougher meth
laws, he said, urging the committee to push for government regulation
of chemicals used to make the drug.

Some laws already in place don't have enough teeth, said Seth Swift,
environmental health supervisor for the Henderson County Health
Department. The agency is responsible for overseeing clean-up of meth
labs, he said.

"The state has no standards for what is clean," he said. "They're
still trying to determine what is contaminated and what is not."

By state law, property owners must keep the dwelling unoccupied until
the site is cleaned. But that is hard to enforce, Swift said, citing
an example of a meth lab found in a Henderson County hotel room.
Despite notifying hotel management, the room was rented out the next
day, he said.

Those who attended Tuesday's meeting agreed that more input was
needed on the committee. Many agencies affected by meth use were not
represented at the meeting, they said.

Organizers are seeking paramedics, pediatricians, educators,
landlords, guardian ad litems and officials from the Hendersonville
Housing Authority to join the group. More information on the task
force is available at Appalachian Counseling on Williams Street.

The task force was created in May after nearly 50 educators, social
workers, counselors, nurses, law enforcement officers and business
professionals met to discuss meth's impact on the area.

In June, the group split into two subcommittees. The public awareness
committee will meet from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Henderson
County Public Schools administration building on 4th Avenue. The
protocol committee plans to meet again at noon Aug. 11 at Mountain Laurel.