LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS IN METH BATTLE

Southwest Virginia law enforcement officers took the battle against
methamphetamine to the Commonwealth's highest prosecutor, Attorney
General Jerry Kilgore, Monday.

It deserves state-level attention. Most of the meth labs seized in the
state this year have been in this region and Smyth County leads with
17, almost a third of Virginia's total.

Kilgore wants to see sentencing for meth equal to that for cocaine,
but he wanted the meeting with the front line officers to look at the
growing problem to find solutions "from each and every angle," he said.

The problems surrounding meth seem more numerous than
solutions.

Officers told Kilgore about a lack of staff to deal with meth, about
the need for more training specific to handling meth labs, and about
the local costs for lab closure borne by localities in cases not
picked up by federal law enforcement.

On top of those, there are issues about child welfare in drug
environments, about safety of officers and the surrounding community
in the presence of meth labs' stockpiles of toxic fumes and
potentially explosive materials.

Add to that the apparent failure of arrests and sentences to curb
users' overwhelming appetite for meth, a powerfully addictive
substance that sometimes leads officers to capture the same subjects
repeatedly. Substance abuse counselors say that of every 100 people
who try methamphetamine, 93 will become addicted. The meth addict's
first impulse upon getting out of jail is to find more of the drug
right away. And for every user, there is a cook ready to supply the
meth. Consequently, the strong market leads cooks to view the
potential financial rewards as worth the risk of legal penalties.

Apart from testing all arrested subjects for meth use and locking up
those who test positive, thereby keeping them away from meth, jail may
not be the only answer. Development of effective treatment for the
addiction and rehabilitation deserves equal attention.

In the meantime, the battle remains on the legal front and Smyth
County is fortunate to have dedicated soldiers in the trenches. In
fact, Smyth law enforcement officers are credited with assisting in
the discovery of three meth labs outside the county's borders.

We salute these Smyth officials who met with Kilgore and Delegate Bill
Carrico to share their knowledge and experience with the scourge of
meth: Commonwealth's Attorney Roy Evans, Smyth County Sheriff David
Bradley, Chief Deputy Kenny Lewis, Sheriff's Investigator Danny
Waddle, Chilhowie Chief of Police Dwayne Sheffield, Marion Chief of
Police Mike Roberts and MPD Investigator April Morgan.