GOVERNOR'S METH TASK FORCE LOOKS AT LAB EFFECTS ON PROPERTY OWNERS

Cleaning up meth labs and how their after effects could harm property
owners are difficult issues the Governor's Task Force on
Methamphetamine Use is attempting to battle. Members of the Task Force
met Monday at Motlow College specificially to address those problems.

The Task Force convenes semi-monthly at various Tennessee locations
and is expected to make recommendations for combating the state's
growing meth problem to Gov. Phil Bredesen by Sept. 1.

To educate the Task Force on the process of "cooking" meth, David
Shelton of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in Chattanooga led
a descriptive presentation, providing information on the materials,
methods, and potential dangers involved in making the drug.

He said the labs are relatively mobile and are found in a wide variety
of locations - "cars, mobile homes, motels, house boats, campgrounds,
barns, rural areas, and residences."

Tommy Farmer of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department said while
houses may be used more frequently for meth labs in one location,
motels or campgrounds might be more popular in another location.

"It varies from region to region," he said.

Through a video conference with the Task Force, Carolyn Comeau -
coordinator of the Washington Department of Health Clandestine Drug
Lab Program in Olympia, Wash. - shared information on her state's meth
lab clean-up policies, which were instituted in 1990.

The "remediation" process of meth labs is overseen by individual
counties in Washington, she said.

So far, this strategy seems to be working. Ms. Comeau said the state
is "starting to see a decline" in meth labs.

In response to a question posed by Task Force member Sullivan Smith,
Emergency Medical Director at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, on
the number of meth labs that do not require remediation, Ms. Comeau
said: "It is a rarity. Generally, [a former meth lab] requires some
type of remediation."

She described most lab sites as "bizarre."

The remediation process typically involves steps such as removing
carpet, appliances, and the majority of personal items, along with
cleaning the house "from ceiling to floor," according to Ms. Comeau.

But, she emphasized: "Each situation is unique and needs to be
assessed on its own merit. There is no typical lab."

In addition to the presentation and video conference, the Task Force
heard a briefing on Public Chapter 855 from Rep. Charlie Curtiss,
D-Sparta, and a statement of interest from Jay West of Bone McAllester
Norton law firm in Nashville.

Task Force member Rep. Curtiss addressed the group in reference to a
state law that will require property made unsafe by meth labs to be
quarantined until it is deemed safe by a certified individual.

West's statement from the Tennessee Bankers Association, Tennessee
Association of Realtors, Tennessee Vacation Rental Management
Association, Tennessee Apartment Association, Homebuilders Association
of Tennessee, and Tennessee Association of Mortgage Brokers informed
the Task Force of the impact its recommendations would have on "these
business groups and their members."

The statement, which encouraged the Task Force to consider some of the
groups' "key concerns," said the groups and members mentioned "are
among the innocent victims of methamphetamine abuse and suffer the
potential for significant economic losses."

The next meeting of the Task Force is scheduled for Aug. 2 in
Nashville.