ATTORNEY GENERAL TARGETS DRUG LABS

Cooper Makes Suggestions For Fighting Meth Production

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

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

"Here in North Carolina, we have a huge problem," Mr. 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 found in western counties such as Watauga,
Buncombe and Rutherford.

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.

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

Watauga County Sheriff Mark Shook said meth manufacturers with no criminal
history generally receive a suspended sentence with probation, similar to
penalties for marijuana possession.

"Difference is, you drive by a marijuana plant, there's no danger to you,"
Sheriff Shook said. "You drive by a (meth) lab, and you could die if the
thing explodes."

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 Mr. 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," Mr. 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."

Mr. 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. Mr. Cooper 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.

And Mr. Cooper 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.