DRUG ON THE MOVE

Good news for Washington state and Clark County may not mean good news
in the national fight against methamphetamine.

As Columbian writer John Branton reported in a Saturday story, the
number of meth labs reported declined for the third year in a row,
both statewide and in the county.

The drop can be credited in part to the fact that our drug task forces
in Washington are more savvy about meth, and greater resources have
been devoted to the problem. What used to be an unknown drug just 10
years ago has become Clark County's worst drug problem, as measured by
the number of charges filed for possessing and selling meth.

Success here also seems attributable to geography and a change in
Canadian law that makes it harder for people in the Northwest to
obtain large amounts of a chemical used for making meth. The nasty
drug is a brew of chemicals combined with pseudoephedrine, which is
found in seemingly innocent cold pills. That has to be part of what
makes meth such a popular drug. Unlike other illegal drugs, such as
marijuana, the ingredients are sold over the counter.

Canada, aware of the trouble, now limits the amount of pseudoephedrine
people buy. But Mexico remains a reliable source for obtaining large
amounts of some meth ingredients. This leads some officials to believe
the meth cooks may be moving closer to Mexico.

According to a report on National Public Radio, meth use and
manufacturing is also spreading to rural communities throughout the
nation. NPR cites government and El Paso Intelligence Center data that
show in 1998, rural areas in the country reported just 949 meth labs.
In 2003, that number rose to 9,385 in such areas.

Like most drug trades, when you squeeze one end of the market, the
mess spills out elsewhere.

Aside from continued detective work to root out meth labs, officials
are asking retailers to get involved and limit the amount of cold
pills and chemicals a person can purchase. Small labs that produce
just an ounce or two at a time are typical in Clark County and easily
accommodated through purchases at local pharmacies, grocers, hardware
and feed stores. If you are a retailer, visit the Meth Watch program
at www.methwatch.com for more information.

Retailers should do all they can to aid the fight against a drug that
is attracting our community's young people and preying on the
downtrodden. Thefts and property crimes are a natural fit with meth
use, as its users are said to become paranoid and violent.

As we breathe a sigh of relief that things are a bit better here in
regard to meth, we must be mindful that the problem has not really
gone away. It is just making its rounds.