STATE OFFICIALS HAVE PLAN TO TARGET METH LABS

The Attorney General Wants Legislators To Increase Penalties For
Manufacturing The Drug.

RICHMOND - Attorney General Jerry Kilgore and two Western Virginia
legislators will spearhead efforts to increase penalties for
manufacturing methamphetamine and to ensure safe cleanup of toxic lab
sites, they announced Friday. Kilgore outlined a series of legislative
proposals aimed at the growing problems associated with
methamphetamine, or meth - an addictive, hard-edged stimulant
concocted from cold medicine and household chemicals.

The cheap, homemade drug has been especially prevalent in Southwest
Virginia, where authorities have dismantled dozens of lab sites in the
past two years. "What we have is a growing problem throughout the
entire commonwealth that is reaching dangerous levels in the mountain
and valley regions of Virginia," said Kilgore, who joined Del. Bill
Carrico, R-Grayson County, and Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, in
a news conference at the state Capitol. "The fact is that while
cocaine is manufactured in Bogota, meth is more likely to be
manufactured in places like Bristol or Botetourt," Kilgore said. "Thus
it's time to toughen our penalties for the manufacturing of meth, and
this legislation will do just that." Kilgore wants the General
Assembly to increase penalties for manufacturing meth and establish a
separate crime for producing the drug in the presence of children.

He also wants lawmakers and state agencies to create guidelines for
cleaning up meth labs and for storing and testing the chemicals for
prosecutions. "This is a growing problem, and it calls for the
cooperation of all levels of law enforcement, new solutions, greater
education of the public and tougher sentencing for those involved in
meth-related crimes," Kilgore said. Carrico and Obenshain will sponsor
some of the legislation in the upcoming General Assembly session,
which begins Jan. 12. Carrico called the proposals "a very aggressive
package" that will be welcomed by law enforcement authorities in his
sprawling district, which has been a hotbed of meth activity. Carrico
said 41 of the 78 meth labs discovered so far this year were found in
his district, which includes Galax, Grayson County and parts of Wythe,
Smyth and Carroll counties.

Another 19 labs have been busted in Washington County, said Carrico, a
former state trooper. Carrico said the cleanup provisions in Kilgore's
package would address safety concerns raised by police who may have
been exposed to chemicals used in the mobile labs. "A lot of times
they're telling me, 'Bill, we don't even know what kind of chemicals
we're dealing with when we go in there and we're bringing them back to
our station, we're storing them in a locker, we're transporting them
in a car,'" Carrico said. Kilgore said each pound of meth leaves
behind 5 to 7 pounds of toxic waste, and innocent property owners are
sometimes saddled with the cleanup costs. Kilgore's package also would
require convicted meth producers to pay restitution for cleanup costs.
Obenshain said it is critical for lawmakers to act now rather than
wait for the meth problem to become more widespread. "We can save
thousands from the ravaging effects of this drug and prevent the
associated crime that comes with it," Obenshain said. "Or we can
simply wait until after we are busting more than 1,000 meth labs a
year across Virginia and then try and close the barn door after the
horses have already gotten out." Kilgore already has launched a
voluntary "Meth Watch" program in which participating retailers take
steps to deter bulk purchases of materials used in the production of
meth, such as cold medicine, starter fluid, drain cleaner and aluminum
foil.

METHAMPHETAMINES What are they?. Powerful and highly addictive
stimulants that can take the form of pills, powders or crystals. .
They can be made in houses, trailers and hotel rooms using common
household cleaning supplies and over-the-counter cold medicines.