METH-LABS POSE NEW PROBLEMS

Virginia state police report that the use of methamphetamines is on
the rise in the commonwealth.

A recent rise in the popularity of the drug methamphetamine has
officials on the hunt for "Beavis and Butthead" labs in certain
counties of Southwest Virginia.

Lt. W.R. Bess, of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal
Investigation (BCI), said more than 75 meth labs have been found in
the state this year. In 2003, the total was 34.

"Most of the labs we're finding are the 'Mom and Pop,' or 'Beavis and
Butthead' labs that produce two or three grams at a time," Bess said.
"The large labs that produce ounces and pounds are the Mexican
national labs out in California."

Bess, who works in the drug enforcement division of the BCI's Salem
field office, explained that meth is a powerful and addictive
stimulant made by "cooking" the active ingredients in cold medicine
with other household chemicals. Similar to cocaine, the drug is often
called crank or speed and has been present along the West Coast of the
United States since the mid- '80s.

It was not until recently, however, that meth began to surface in Virginia.

"A lot of trends begin on the West Coast and move this way," Bess
said. "Some trends start here and move that way, but regardless of
which way they move, it takes time to catch on from one state to the
next . That's just a part of the natural process of the spread of any
trend."

Bess said meth is becoming popular for a variety of reasons, one being
that it can be taken into the blood stream in a variety of ways,
including smoking, swallowing, snorting and injection.

"Some methods may get into the blood system a little bit quicker than
others, but basically it's the same reaction, same duration," he said.

According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy website, meth
is capable of producing both short-term and long-term health problems.
Some of the short-term implications include convulsions, stroke and
cardiac arrhythmia, while the long-term effects can range from
sleeping problems to psychotic behavior and intense paranoia.

While use of the drug itself is dangerous, cooking meth is also risky
since many of the chemicals used in the process are corrosive or flammable.

"The process can be very toxic and very explosive," Bess said. "You're
running two risks: the fumes that it puts off can be highly toxic .
and the volatility of it can cause it to ignite or explode very
rapidly, particularly because the processes used are applying heat at
various stages."

Bess said meth has gained so much popularity in certain areas of
Southwest Virginia that it is replacing other drugs that have been
used in the past.

"OxyContin used to be a drug of choice, and to some extent it's being
replaced in some areas by the methamphetamine," he said.

Debra Duncan, Virginia Tech Police Chief, said that, although there
have not been any cases of meth use or production on campus so far,
the university's policy does not differentiate between different types
of drugs, and anyone found with illegal substances would be treated in
exactly the same manner.

"They'd be suspended from school," she said. "And then, of course,
they'd be charged criminally."