STATE URGED TO FIGHT METH HEAD-ON

Authorities in Other States Say Arrests, Raids on Labs Won't Solve
Problem

Two meth lab raids earlier this month have made it clear to law
enforcers that methamphetamine is creeping into Connecticut.

But officials in two Western states afflicted with the scourge of meth
trafficking say Connecticut can learn from their successes, and
shortcomings, as it tries to suppress abuse and production of the
highly addictive stimulant.

Law enforcement and health experts in California and Wyoming warn that
Connecticut should not underestimate the scope of its meth problem,
and cannot rely solely on lab busts and arrests to contain it. They
say this state's burgeoning efforts to stamp out meth and related
crime must include aggressive treatment and prevention. In addition,
they urge controls on consumer access to over-the-counter cold
remedies, such as Sudafed, which contain pseudoephedrine, the active
meth ingredient that induces a mood-altering high for up to 10 hours.

California and Wyoming officials say that approach, which they
implemented after overlooking initial warning signs of their meth
problem, has slowed its advance in their regions. Extensive counseling
and community support for habitual meth users and preventing its
outbreak among new users are critical, they say.

"You have to break the cycle of substance abuse before you can break
the cycle of criminal activity," said Thomas Pagel, the Casper, Wyo.,
police chief who ran the state's Division of Criminal Investigation
when meth hit in the early '90s. "We've been doing it backwards for
years."

Ann A. Reyes, methamphetamine plan coordinator at the Wyoming
Department of Health, said her state moved quickly once it fully
recognized the drug's grip, with state lawmakers granting $3.2 million
to establish pilot meth treatment programs. Today, Wyoming's meth
admissions are double those in 2001, Reyes said.

"If we could have just done it a little faster, or at the same time,"
Reyes said. "Every state has a choice when they see initial signs of a
[meth] problem. They can turn around, stare at it, and take it
head-on. Or, they can close their eyes and hope it goes away."

Connecticut leaders are reacting. Gov. M. Jodi Rell has instructed
state Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle to review all
information about the presence of meth and to coordinate interdiction
and eradication efforts with local police and federal narcotics
agents. Rell's office also said the governor will, if necessary, seek
more federal money for meth treatment.

"The governor's approach is, 'If you see it, stomp on it,'" said Rell
spokesman Rich Harris.

State lawmakers introduced a bill in the last session to make
over-the-counter cold medicines controlled substances. Though the
measure died in the public health committee, a trade group
representing major drugstores in the state reiterated its support for
national standards for regulating sales of cold remedies containing
pseudoephedrine, said committee co-chairman state Sen. Chris Murphy,
D-Cheshire.

"We're taking the methamphetamine threat very seriously," Murphy
said.

He and state Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, co-chairman of the
judiciary committee, said they are prepared in the next regular
session to re-examine everything to stamp out meth, including
controlling cold remedy sales. They also agree that public education
and prevention are crucial.

"For a long time, we hoped it wouldn't show up in our part of the
country," Lawlor said. "This is a big, complicated mess we're about to
wade into here."

In Hartford, the city's drug and alcohol commission is trying to
determine the extent of meth abuse in the capital. The Hispanic Health
Council soon will brief the commission about its continuing street
surveys of meth users to help plot a coordinated response by drug
treatment organizations in the region, officials say.

It's hard to pin down how many of the 1.3 million Americans age 12 or
older who the federal government says have tried meth in the past two
years are in Connecticut. But data from the state Department of Mental
Health and Addiction Services show local abuse of the drug is growing.

In fiscal 2004, there were 109 admissions to state-funded treatment
for a primary addiction to meth, the agency said. There were 12
admissions in 2000; 56 in 2001; 89 in 2002; and 102 in 2003. In 2004,
approximately 40,000 people were admitted for treatment of cocaine,
heroin, OxyContin, marijuana and alcohol at 160 public and private in-
and outpatient facilities, the agency said.

"Clearly, at the moment [meth] has not been a problem in Connecticut,
and we're working to keep it that way," said agency spokesman Jim
Siemianowski.

But meth treatment experts outside Connecticut say admissions are a
lagging indicator, because the average meth addict abuses the drug for
seven years before health or financial problems, or a judge, force him
into treatment.

Despite spotty anecdotal and statistical evidence about meth, Hartford
Health Director Ramon Rojano said its presence in the city and state
cannot be ignored.

"If we're smart, the best we can do is move quickly to try to put some
preventative measures in place," Rojano said. "Because of how quickly
it has spread in other places, we should err on the side of caution.
We should pay attention."

Methamphetamine, a class of stimulant akin to crack cocaine and the
illicit party drug Ecstasy, not only eats away users' bodies and
brains, but the volatile cocktail of common chemicals for "cooking"
meth is a threat to public safety, experts say.

The mixture, which includes lye from drain cleaner, acid from lithium
batteries, and iodine is highly flammable and potentially explosive.
Production of 1 pound of meth yields 6 pounds of toxic waste that is
often dumped into sinks, toilets, yards or streams - some of which
supply drinking water for animals and humans - or along roadways.

The toll of crime and violence from people high on meth who steal and
assault to protect their habits is immeasurable, as is the cost to
society of families, especially children, torn apart by meth abuse,
officials say. An East Hampton mother arrested on June 8, in the
state's first coordinated raid targeting multiple labs, was ordered
into treatment and faces more than 10 years in prison. Michelle Lanzi
and her boyfriend are charged with operating a meth lab in their home.

Lanzi's children weren't with her when the home was raided, and are
now with relatives. But officials say many states bring child welfare
authorities along on meth raids to deal with the suspects' children.

In California, which some call "the meth capital of the world," the
drug is so entrenched that authorities for two decades have warned
that meth would eventually reach every state. What began there in the
'50s and '60s as a drug used and trafficked by outlaw biker gangs has
evolved into sophisticated "super labs" in California and Mexico that
distribute meth nationwide, authorities say.

"This is by far the biggest drug threat we have in the United States,"
said Ken Shaw, special agent in the California Bureau of Narcotics
Enforcement.

No rural and suburban area of the state, from San Diego to Sacramento,
is untouched by meth, said Richard Rawson, associate director of the
UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Center.

"Once it gets into the community, it doesn't leave," Rawson
said.