GOVERNOR HELPS CREATE PROGRAM TO SHUT DOWN METH MAKERS

TYLER - Gov. Rick Perry responded to the growing number of
methamphetamine labs across East Texas by helping to launch a Meth
Watch program Tuesday.

At a Brookshire's Grocery store in Tyler, Perry announced a $50,000
grant that will include funding for an East Texas Council of
Governments project coordinator who will hold meetings in 26 counties
with educators, retailers, community groups and neighborhood watch
programs to arm them with knowledge on how to recognize meth activity.
The coordinator also will work with the Deep East Texas Council of
Governments and Economic Development District.

Meth cooks use pseudoephedrine, found in over-the-counter medication
such as Sudafed and Robitussin, to manufacture the highly addictive
stimulant.

Perry's announcement came during Red Ribbon Week, as communities
across the country demonstrate a commitment to a safe, healthy and
drug-free environment.

The Meth Watch coordinator will help train retailers to recognize
suspicious customers. For example, grocery clerks will be trained to
notice if shoppers are purchasing large quantities of items used to
make the drug and how often they make those purchases.

Teachers will be taught to look for symptoms a student meth user might
display. The Meth Watch program coordinator also will seek to work
with school districts to hold assemblies to talk to students about the
drug's dangerous effects.

Perry hopes retailers will place the Meth Watch signs throughout East
Texas grocery stores to help deter shoppers seeking to purchase
ingredients used to make the drug.

Perry had a message for meth manufacturers: "The people of East Texas
are watching you. The people of East Texas are going to catch you."

He also said he would support new legislation to toughen penalties for
people charged with manufacturing the drug.

Brookshire's Food Stores will participate in the program by hanging
Meth Watch signs at its stores, said Jim Cousineau, vice president of
pharmacy operations at the corporate office in Tyler.

Texas state Rep. Leo Berman of Smith County said a meeting will be
held Thursday in Austin to discuss stricter laws. He said a bill has
been drafted based on an Oklahoma law.

Oklahoma passed new laws in April that restrict access to
pseudoephedrine and limit the amount customers can purchase in a
30-day period. Also, the medicine must be purchased through a
pharmacy, and customers must provide photo identification and sign a
register.

Angela Norton, director of criminal justice and public safety for
ETCOG, said it's important that all people become involved in efforts
to curtail the growing number of meth labs.

"Methamphetamine cannot be stopped by government alone," she said. "It
must be a cooperative effort, similar to Neighborhood Watch."

Ninety-eight percent of people who use methamphetamine become
addicted, Norton said.

"It is an incredibly dangerous drug," she said.