FIGHTING THE METH

Awareness key to containment

The U.S. Justice Department lists these as possible indicators of a
methamphetamine lab or other clandestine chemical lab:

Strong smell of urine or unusual chemical smells such as ether, ammonia or
acetone.

Bottles or jars with rubber tubing attached.

A large amount of cold tablet containers with ingredients of ephedrine or
pseudoephedrine.

A large number of cans of camping fuel, paint thinner, acetone, starter
fluid, lye and drain cleaners containing sulfuric acid or bottles containing
muriatic acid.

Jars containing clear liquid with a white-colored solid on the bottom.

Jars labeled as containing iodine, red phosphorus, sulfuric acid or
hydrochloric acid.

Coffee filters containing a white, pasty substance, a dark red sludge or
small amounts of shiny white crystals.

Propane tanks with fittings that have turned blue.

Soft silver or gray metallic ribbon stored in oil or kerosene.

Would you recognize a methamphetamine lab if you came across one?

M A D N E S S

Harrison County Sheriff George H. Payne Jr. is using a $162,000 federal
grant to make the public aware of meth lab indicators and what to do if you
believe you've found one.

The tactics represent an about-face for law enforcement officials, who in
recent years tried to keep meth's ingredients a secret to avoid giving
would-be criminals ideas of how easy the dangerous drug is to make. That
didn't work and a different approach is being tried.

"Whether you call it crystal meth, meth, crank, ice or glass, it is
poisoning the youth and adults of Harrison County and is also a safety
hazard, said Payne. "It poses a serious threat to abusers, their families,
law enforcement personnel and the public as well."

Payne's message, "Don't Mess With Meth," is broadcast at schools, civic
organizations and faith-based meetings, on radio and television commercials
and in newspaper ads. Coming soon are billboards.

Lab sites once were more likely to be found in remote rural areas. However,
they're also being found in city neighborhoods, around businesses and in
apartment buildings and hotels. Meth cooks often carry weapons and "booby
trap" their labs to prevent anyone, especially law enforcement officers,
from disturbing the site, said Payne.

The most obvious signs of a meth lab are strong chemical smells, heavy
traffic at all hours, and windows open year-round. Other indicators are
large supplies of cold medication containing pseudoephedrine, rubber tubing,
ice coolers and jugs of foul-smelling liquids.

Meth is made with toxic, flammable ingredients such as drain cleaner, paint
thinner, battery acid and antifreeze. Every pound produced leaves behind
five to six pounds of toxic waste, which is why narcotics agents liken a
meth lab to a toxic waste dump.

Some of the ingredients are potentially explosive. For instance, an accident
with a gallon of ether can level a 2,000-square-foot home.

Meth users say they enjoy the drug because it causes feelings of
exhilaration or euphoria and alertness, and blocks hunger. But at high doses
it causes agitation, paranoia and bizarre behavior that endangers the user
and others, said Payne.

Meth increases the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. The side
effects, he said, can include lung damage, strokes, heart attacks,
convulsions, coma and death. National hospital emergency room statistics
show nearly 30,000 people were treated for meth-related problems from 1991
to 2000.

Meth was virtually unheard-of in Mississippi until recent years. In 1997,
two confirmed meth-lab busts were reported. Since 1999, at least 1,200 meth
labs have been found and more than 3,000 people arrested on related charges,
according to the state Bureau of Narcotics.

Payne said his deputies handled more than 100 meth arrests in 2004.

What to do

Harrison County Sheriff George H. Payne Jr. gives these warnings of what to
do if you believe you've found a meth lab:

Leave the area immediately.

Contact your local law enforcement agency and give directions to the lab
site.

Do not return to the area until it is deemed safe.