LOCAL, STATE OFFICIALS MEET TO DISCUSS METH RISKS

PARK HILLS - There was no disagreement among the more than 20 local
and state officials who gathered here Friday that there are serious
health risks related to the illegal production of methamphetamine and
there were suggestions as to how to deal with some aspects of the problem.

Lieutenant Kyle Marquardt, head of criminal and drug investigations
for the Highway Patrol in Southeast Missouri, said the problem needs
to be "cut off at the head," referring to stopping the flow of the one
essential ingredient - ephedrine or pseudoephedrine.

Missouri is spending millions of dollars to deal with the meth
problem, Marquardt pointed out. Legislation last year did address the
ephedrine question, but he asked if the legislation went far enough.
Without that key ingredient, he suggested, meth labs would disappear.

Members of the Highway Patrol, representatives of Missouri Attorney
General Jay Nixon, Division of Family Service employees, an
environmental specialist from the Missouri Division of Family
Services, the staff of the County Health Department, Presiding
Commissioner Jim Henson, officers from the Mineral Area Drug Task
Force, and Sheriff Dan Bullock were among those who participated in
the meeting at the patrol's Service Center on the campus of Mineral
Area College.

The meeting was arranged and hosted by State Rep. Dan Ward, D-Bonne
Terre, who has introduced legislation that would give counties the
authority to deal with meth lab contamination. It is in the form of an
amendment to a bill that gives counties more jurisdiction to deal with
local problems through the adoption of ordinances.

Henson said any legislation, even at the local level, must be
carefully worded to avoid conflicts that arise over environmental
issues as well as planning and zoning controversies. He also noted
that most counties do not have the financial means to carry out
extensive cleanup programs, even if the bulk of the cost is the
responsibility of the property owners.

Methamphetamine contamination "is a health issue, plain and simple,"
Henson said.

There is definitely a serious problem, County Health Director Diane
Williams said after the meeting, but she also believes there is a
tremendous need for more information about the problem. There have
been no case studies to determine the extent of lingering meth
contamination and its effects on people surrounded by it.

John Peacock, also from the County Health Center, pointed out Missouri
has no standards for meth lab cleanup, only guidelines.

Tim Edgar of Bonne Terre, who operates a local firm that does drug
testing, said Missouri and much of the nation is years behind in
dealing with the meth contamination problem and the impact it is
having on the health of thousands of people. He described it as a
long-term problem that is only going to get worse, and added, "You
ain't seen nothin' yet."

Edgar described meth as "a social problem" and as "a
plague."

A representative of the attorney general pointed out there currently
is no treatment program for users of this highly addictive drug. A
proposal has been made for a treatment program with the Department of
Corrections specifically focused on meth addiction.

There are many facets to the meth contamination problem, starting with
starting with those exposed while the illegal substance is being made,
and going through to those officers who take down the labs, all the
way to the innocent victims who unknowingly move into homes where meth
was made.

Some of the saddest victims are children who are raised in a meth lab
environment. Edgar noted the state does not have sufficient foster
homes to place these children and a DFS worker pointed out another
problem. She said that agency has taken children from homes where meth
was being produced and put them with other relatives, only to find out
they were also involved in the manufacturing of the substance.

While the greatest concern is for the children, the DFS employee also
pointed out some caseworkers from the agency may be going into meth
contaminated homes as many as 15 times a week. If the contamination is
as much a health hazard as suggested by Edgar, that means the workers'
health is also at risk.

Lieutenant Leann Kinney of the Highway Patrol, who formerly headed up
the Mineral Area Drug Task Force, said it has not been until recently
that people in law enforcement have become aware of the possible
lingering contamination of meth lab sites.

There was considerable discussion about the need to identify and make
known the location of former meth lab sites. Currently, property
owners who sell or rent such sites are required to disclose that
information if they are aware, but Edgar pointed out there is no teeth
in the law. Those who violate it are risking little and, as a DFS
worker noted, are often slum lords who are only out to make a dollar.

Still another dangerous aspect, Edgar told the group, are vehicles
used as rolling meth labs. They become contaminated in the same way as
houses, mobile homes and apartments. Some states are requiring such
vehicles to be crushed and placed in salvage.

Edgar pointed out what he felt was a ridiculous situation. A car used
in a rolling lab had been leased. Rather than seize the car,
authorities returned it to the leasing company and now, Edgar said, it
has probably exposed many more people to the contamination.

In the same light, if a car is not seized, it goes back to the owner
and might be sold to unsuspecting victims who will also be exposed to
the contamination.

A representative of the DNR said one of the problems with regulating
meth lab contamination is that most of the precursors used to make the
substance do not fall into the category of hazardous materials. Most
of them are common items found in a household or used around the house
and thus state and federal agencies lack the authority to require
owners to cleanup the property.

"This is a problem that is hard to address," Ward told the group. "It
brings up a lot of interesting issues."

The lawmaker said he has had conferences with several state agencies
since learning about the problem and all are concerned and eager to
find solutions.