METH'S 'CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER' TO OUR KIDS IS GROWING

As early as July 2003, USA Today ran an article titled, "'Meth' moves
east," warning that the highly addictive stimulant which concerned a few
Western states for years "now is being made nationwide in clandestine labs
that are creating environmental hazards and other problems in residential
areas."

The article went on to recount how methamphetamine first became popular as
a recreational drug in California during the late-1980s. "Now," the 2003
article stated, "authorities are finding meth labs in new places:
neighborhoods throughout the Midwest and the East, where labs packed with
the toxic chemicals used to make the drug have been found in apartment
buildings, duplexes and abandoned buses. In Tennessee, two siblings
recently set up a lab in their grandmother's retirement-home apartment
while she was in the hospital.

Described back then by one DEA agent as a "wildfire moving east," Tennessee
Gov. Phil Bredesen stated in his "War on Methamphetamine" address of
November 2004 that "there's no bigger threat facing rural Tennessee and
rural America than methamphetamine. It's a plague that's spreading quickly."

The governor cited statistics from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency that
the Volunteer State has seen a 397 percent (!) increase in meth lab busts
since 2000. And, Bredesen went on to say: "Our state Department of
Children's Services estimates that we now are taking more than 700 children
into state custody each year as a result of meth lab incidents. Without a
doubt, meth represents a clear and present danger to the health and well
being of our state."

And, therein lies the rub. If there is anything worse than the growing
problem of "meth labs" invading virtually every neighborhood of East
Tennessee, it has got to be the growing number of children found at these
horrific production sites.

Members of the Anderson County Sheriff's Drug Task Force reported this week
that the Department of Children's Services was called to the scene of a
meth bust after a 14-year-old girl was discovered in the suspected
manufacturer's home. Two weeks ago, deputies took two toddlers, ages 1 and
3, from a Dutch Valley Road home in Clinton after finding evidence of meth
production. In that particular case, authorities said they didn't believe
the actual homeowner, who is the grandmother of the children, was even
aware of what was going on.

"This is why it is so important for people to know the signs of meth
production," stated Sheriff Bill White.

Earlier this month, area officers made the third meth lab bust to the same
Oak Ridge residence - a home located in close proximity to Willow Brook
Elementary School and a day care center.

To report drug activity or criminal activity, contact the Anderson County
Sheriff's Department at (865) 463-7175. Some signs that a child is being
exposed to meth lab chemicals include watery eyes, discharge from the eyes,
blurred vision, mild to severe burns on the skin, sneezing and coughing,
shortness of breath, congestion of the voice box, chest pain, nausea and
vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark colored urine, fever, yellow
jaundice, hallucinations, extreme irritability and severe neglect.

Be on guard and call the aforementioned number if you suspect a child is in
danger.

Her or his life may depend on it.