AUTHORITIES OUTLINE METH BATTLE PLANS

As methamphetamine manufacturing burgeons in North Carolina, state
Attorney General Roy Cooper said this week the state needs to take
steps to stay ahead of the problem.

While North Carolina dug out from a winter storm, Cooper said he
wanted to talk about "a different kind of ice" - a reference to the
street name for methamphetamine's highly pure, crystalline form.

"Here in North Carolina, we have a huge problem," Cooper
said.

Meth is a highly addictive illegal drug that has spread eastward from
California since the early 1990s.

In 1999, North Carolina officials investigated nine meth "labs," where
"cooks" make the drug from items easily purchased at local drug or
feed stores. Last year, that number jumped to 177.

The toxic fumes emitted by labs have a nauseating smell, so cooks tend
to set up shop in isolated mountain homes, forests, or even cars. Most
of North Carolina's meth labs are being found in western counties.

Officers busted six meth labs in McDowell last year, slightly down
from seven in 2002, when the county was ranked second in the state for
the number of drug-cooking facilities.

"In some of our surrounding counties, the drug of choice is still
cocaine," said Lt. Jackie Turner Jr. of McDowell County Sheriff's
Office's Drug Enforcement unit. "But we and the other mountain
counties are seeing more meth."

He said the recipe is only a fingertip away on the Internet and
ingredients are readily available at local stores.

"Just like one (meth maker) told me, they can create their own demon,"
Turner stated.

Because cooking meth involves heating combustible materials,
explosions can occur, posing dangers to users, neighbors, and rescue
workers. In 2003, officials found children in a quarter of the labs
they busted.

Turner stated that small children have lived in the majority of the
labs raided in McDowell.

Because of the dangers involved in meth's manufacture, Cooper said his
first priority is increasing penalties for possessing and cooking the
drug. Currently, selling the drug draws a much harsher sentence than
just making it.

McDowell's lieutenant agreed that the current punishment isn't tough
enough.

"More time needs to be given to these people," said Turner. "We're
catching the same ones over and over. We've arrested one man three
times for operating different labs. We worry about these repeat offenders."

Meth also poses environmental dangers. State Bureau of Investigation
Director Robin Pendergraft said SBI officials and hazmat teams often
must wear "moon suits" when busting labs, and Cooper noted that
producing a pound of the drug can leave behind five to six pounds of
toxic waste.

"It's got to go somewhere, and a lot of times it is dumped right on
the ground," Cooper said. "Making meth means polluting the ground and
water, poisoning the mind and body, and worse yet, ruining the health
and lives of young children."

Cooper wants retailers to develop programs to monitor and limit
excessive sales of drugs often used in meth's manufacture, such as
over-the-counter cold medicines.

Copper also suggested training drug store cashiers, apartment managers
and workers in motels - which can be used as labs - so they could spot
someone involved in meth manufacture.

Cooper also wants training for hospital and other health care workers
on how to decontaminate a meth user and protect themselves from
inhaling fumes from or being burned by that person's clothing or
possessions.

Lawmakers are expected to sponsor a bill in the Legislature this
spring.

A complete copy of Cooper's report is available at www.jus.state.nc.us
under "Important News."