STATE TRIES TO STEM METH LAB EXPLOSION

FLORENCE -- A decade ago, South Carolina and local law enforcement agencies
did not spend time or resources on methamphetamine. That has changed in a
hurry.

There were just 10 meth labs uncovered in the Palmetto State in 2001,
according to statistics from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Those numbers have grown rapidly -- 36 found in 2002, 65 in 2003 and 154
last year.

"There's no telling how many of them are out there that we don't know
about," Florence Police Department Sgt. John Calhoun said. On Friday,
Circle Park Behavioral Health Services and the Florence County Coalition
for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention will hold a conference at
Francis Marion University about the highly addictive drug called "Meth:
What's Cooking in Your Neighborhood?"

The conference is co-sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,
the Florence Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention, the
Florence Police Department, the Florence County Sheriff's Office and the
Lake City Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention.

Calhoun said meth is spreading. "This is such a dangerous drug. It's going
to be 10 times worse than crack cocaine ever thought about being," he said.

Methamphetamine comes in powder, pill and capsule forms. It can be snorted,
swallowed, smoked or shot up with needles.

The most well-known street names are speed, meth, crank or crystal meth, or
in its smokable form, ice, glass or crystal.

A methamphetamine overdose can lead to increased blood pressure, stroke and
heart failure.

Monica Hanna, a prevention specialist at Circle Park, says statistics show
that 98 percent of the people who try meth become addicted. "It's probably
the most dangerous drug out there," she said.

Another danger is that the creation of methamphetamine in enclosed areas
can lead to explosions, authorities say.

"Meth labs endanger everybody around them," Florence Police Maj. Carlos
Raines said.

In addition, Raines says each pound of methamphetamine made creates as much
as six pounds of hazardous waste that's "extremely dangerous and can be fatal."

Law enforcement agencies say communities have to be aware of the threats
and take action to stop it.

Aerosol cans with holes in the bottom, an odor similar to cat urine and
unusually large amounts of batteries, iodine, drain cleaner or other
chemicals may mean a meth lab is nearby. Other signs of a prospective lab,
according to authorities, are hoses or beakers and large quantities of cold
medicines that have pseudoephedrine or ephedrine.

"Meth is manufactured with things that wouldn't necessarily look suspicious
or stand out on their own," Calhoun said, "but added all together, you've
got a meth lab."

Organizers hope the conference educates people on the threat of
methamphetamines.

"This problem is starting to grow in South Carolina, so we want to do
everything we can to educate people before it becomes a problem in our
area," Hanna said.