METH LABS, ABUSE GROWING WORSE

Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter doesn't have a large-scale
methamphetamine problem yet. But he believes he will.

The crippling spread of meth labs and abuse has become the leading
drug problem affecting local law enforcement agencies, according to a
National Association of Counties survey of 500 sheriff's departments
in 45 states.

Carter said he did not participate in the survey, but he is not
surprised by the findings.

"We are starting to sense the initial ripples of the methamphetamine
trade. I'm of the opinion that it will probably be, eventually, of
epidemic proportions," Carter said. "We're not exempt from what the
other counties have experienced and the other counties are a very
good telltale sign of what is coming to us."

The report said about 90 percent of the sheriffs interviewed reported
increases in meth-related arrests in their counties over the last
three years. More than half of those interviewed said they considered
meth the most serious problems their department faces.

In Hamilton County, the sheriff's office hasn't seen the dramatic
increase in arrests that have packed jails in the Midwest and elsewhere.

"I'm confident that we will," Carter said.

Jon Marvel, the sheriff of Vigo County, one of the worst-hit counties
in Indiana, estimates that 80 percent of the inmates in the county
jail in Terre Haute are held on meth-related charges. He also points
to an operating budget that has risen from $800,000 in 1999 to about
$3.4 million last year as example of the stranglehold methamphetamine
has on the county's resources.

Those costs include cleaning up makeshift labs and caring for the
children left behind when addicted parents are sentenced to prison
time or undergo treatment, Marvel said.

Carter goes a bit farther. He said children can, and do contribute to
making the drug.

"A 12-year-old can do it," he said, "using household chemicals."

Carter advocates using pro-active measures to educate the public on
just how insidious the meth problem is.

"There is no boundary of the people (meth) grabs hold of, so it
doesn't matter: wealthy, poor, rural, urban, white collar, blue
collar, educated or none n it doesn't make any difference," he said.

While he believes the public education that is available currently
has worked to make people aware of methamphetamines, more needs to be
done to control how the drug is manufactured, such as limiting access
to large quantities of pseudoephedrine, a main ingredient in meth.

"I applaud what the legislature did in 2005. It was not a popular
thing, but it was the absolute right thing to do," Carter said.

"If we look back in time and look at other places that have similar
laws, most have seen a reduction of around 80 percent in the trade
because of limiting the amount of pseudoephedrine a person can buy."

Carter said every dose of pseudoephedrine equals one dose of methamphetamine.

"So if you look at the totality of what that means, it's huge," he
added. "There are no boundaries to this trade. Once it grabs hold of
you, it's virtually impossible to let go."

Indiana is included in the number of states which reported a doubling
of meth arrests over the last five years, joining Arizona, Arkansas,
Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Figures from the Indiana State Police show that on average, it costs
Hoosier taxpayers $1,500 to $2,000 to clean up a methamphetamine lab,
depending on its size.

State Police Sgt. Mike Burns said the federal Drug Enforcement Agency
contracts with a waste hauler to dispose of the highly volatile
contents of busted meth labs.

Methamphetamine is mostly made by two processes: one using anhydrous
ammonia and another using ether. Both processes are extremely
explosive, making it dangerous not only to the "cooks" who
manufacture the drug, but also to their neighbors. Carter wants the
community to call 911 if they see -- or smell -- anything suspicious
in their neighborhood.

"We need a community partnership," he said. "Almost everybody knows
somebody in this world, whether it's a fireman, whether it's a
policeman, whether it's a judge -- whomever it might be. At the end
of the day, we need the community to help us."

Carter believes the county is still some time away from seeing meth
wreak the devastating effects it has on other Hoosier counties.

"But again, once that happens, it's a little too late for us to do
anything about it," he added. "The right thing for us to do is
address it now, because once it gets to the jail it's too late."