DISCOVERIES OF METH LABS DOWN IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI

Kansas, a perennial fixture among states with the most methamphetamine
laboratory seizures, has dropped off the top 10 list for the first time in a
decade, but Missouri continues to lead the nation.

The Kansas 583 incidents reported to the National Clandestine Laboratory
Seizure System by the state last year still represent far more than most
other states. But an estimated 10 percent drop in discoveries of labs,
dumpsites, materials and equipment put Kansas 11th nationwide.

Larry Welch, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said the new
statistics were a hopeful sign.

"We've tried about everything to fight this plague, from education,
prevention and prison to prayer," Welch said. "I'm pleased with the apparent
success those efforts have shown."

Even with the decrease in meth seizures, the statistics showed the
pervasiveness of the highly addictive drug's production throughout the
state. Of Kansas' 105 counties, 73 reported the discovery of some sort of
meth-making evidence.

The four counties reporting the most seizures - Crawford, Cherokee, Cowley
and Allen - are all congregated in the state's southeastern corner.
Together, the four account for about 43 percent of all the meth seizures
reported in Kansas last year.

The state's eastern neighbor, Missouri, led the nation, as it has for a
number of years, with the most meth seizures - 2,799 in 2004, down slightly
from the 2,860 labs seized the previous year.

State lawmakers in both Kansas and Missouri are considering bills limiting
the sale of cold medications that can be used to produce methamphetamine.
Oklahoma has passed similar legislation, which has been credited with a
massive drop in drug lab seizures in that state.

On Wednesday, the Kansas Senate and Missouri House each gave first-round
approval to anti-meth bills on voice votes. The bills need another vote to
move to their opposite chambers. The Missouri Senate already has passed a
similar bill.

"We have a meth lab epidemic. It has become a poison on our neighborhoods
and communities," said Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, a sponsor of the
Missouri bill.

The bills in Kansas and Missouri would permit only pharmacies to sell
tablets of medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, common meth
ingredients. The medicines would be kept behind the pharmacy counter, and
consumers would have to show identification and sign a log.

The Kansas law would be named for the late Greenwood County Sheriff Matt
Samuels, who was shot to death Jan. 19 at a home where authorities found a
suspected meth lab.

Welch said passage of the measure could determine whether Kansas continues
to see a drop in meth seizures. He noted "alarming increases" in the number
of Oklahomans coming to Kansas in hopes of easier access to chemicals needed
for meth production.

"Our success might be short-lived," Welch said.