METHAMPHETAMINE CRISIS MUST BE ADDRESSED NOW

Crank. Speed. Ice. Crystal. Meth. Whatever its drug-culture name these days,
methamphetamine represents an increasing threat, not only to the people who
use it but their children, neighbors, and the environment.

In the past year and a half, the Tennessee Department of Children's Services
has taken custody of approximately 700 children from their mostly rural,
meth-making parents - or more than one child every day.

For a state that occupies mostly bottom-dwelling positions on a host of
academic and health measures, Tennessee can now finally claim a number one
ranking - we're first in the nation in the number of meth-lab busts
according to a recent report from the Drug Enforcement Agency. The DEA's
records show that there were 1,253 meth labs discovered and cleaned up by
authorities last year. That makes the third year in a row Tennessee has
garnered this dubious distinction.

And what is the response of state lawmakers to this growing crisis? After
considering and rejecting nearly three dozen bills on the subject, they've
agreed to ask Gov. Phil Bredesen to appoint a study committee to mull the
pros and cons of meth legislation for yet another year.

"The idea of just putting people in jail is not a very effective way to deal
with the problem," observed panel chairman, Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis.
"There are so many of them, and they are making it at home."

Many people commit murder at home, too. But one doubts Sen. Cohen would be
quite so cavalier in dealing with that crime.

The failure to address the meth crisis isn't its domestic manufacture but
the cost of fighting it. In a tight budget year, state lawmakers seem more
focused on holding the line on taxes. But while state lawmakers put this
scourge on the legislative back burner, the problem gets worse.

Five years ago, the DEA warned law enforcement and communities throughout
the nation that meth would become a serious problem, a warning largely
ignored with the result that today, meth is the number one drug problem not
only in Tennessee but the nation at large.

What makes meth particularly dangerous is not only the drug's effect, but
the manner in which it is produced and how easy it is to manufacture. As our
news reports attest, meth labs are popping up in rural areas with
distressing regularity.

With increasing and deadly frequency, the makeshift labs where this drug is
cooked erupt into flames, spewing toxic chemicals and leaving poisonous
residues that threaten the total environment around them, forcing costly
cleanups.

Local sheriffs and police departments, especially in areas such as ours,
need additional resources to attack the supply side of this drug threat.
Increased penalties for meth manufacture also need to be passed into law at
the earliest opportunity. The state needs to create a comprehensive
education effort to warn the public about the dangers of meth as a way to
help reduce demand.

In short, state lawmakers need to respond now - not next year - to the
crisis that meth poses to the state and its people, especially the children
caught up in this deadly enterprise. Without sufficient investment in
detection, lab cleanup, stiffer penalties, drug education and treatment for
addicts, this is a problem that will continue to escalate with alarming and
deadly speed.

While lawmakers wait, meth is winning battle after battle in a war
Tennesseans can't afford to lose.