DANGEROUS DEALING

Lab fires proves meth can be deadly The law does not exact a death
penalty for any sort of involvement in crystal methamphetamine - not
for making, taking or distributing the addictive drug. The peril
inherent in methamphetamine stems from the drug itself, in the dangers
of addiction and in the hazards involved in making it.

A home in Boaz was destroyed by fire last week, a fire authorities say
was fueled by chemical ingredients used in the making of
methamphetamine. The resident at the Bethsaida Road house was injured
and has been charged with second-degree manufacturing of crystal
methamphetamine. Another man is dead as a result of the blaze, which
occurred in a residential area of the city just off U.S. 431. No other
homes were damaged and apparently no one from outside this residence
was injured, but the incident easily could have been more dangerous
than it was.

Hardly a week goes by without news from virtually every county in The
Times coverage area of a meth-related arrest or two. Whether it is
people caught buying chemicals to make the drug or people arrested in
possession of it, the prevalence of the drug is apparent. Imagine how
many people are making, selling or using the drug without being caught.

This fire and the resulting death should be a warning to everyone
about the dangers of the drug, especially in people attempting to
manufacture it.

The efforts local law enforcement agencies are putting into combating
of methamphetamine are needed. They need the continued help of non-law
enforcement sources, such as the merchants who've helped by reporting
purchases of items that can be used to make the drug, and residents
who suspect drug activity in their neighborhoods.

The danger and the smell generated by making methamphetamine often
drive manufacturers to rural areas, but not always as the Boaz case
indicates. If people suspect drug activity in their area, it is to
their benefit to report it.

If any good can come from a terrible incident like this one, perhaps
it will be that others will be discouraged from risking the dangers of
methamphetamine.

Involvement with the drug can exact far graver punishments than those
the legal system would impose.