CLASS EXPLORES METH PROBLEM

Sheriff's Department Fields 15 To 20 Meth Calls Daily

A folding table in the basement of the Cigar Factory Complex was filled
Monday with what appeared to be typical items from a garage: foam masks,
engine starter, plastic gasoline cans, hoses, oven cleaner and lighter fluid.

But throughout the next eight hours, the 45 participants in a class led by
Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain and narcotics Detective Sgt. Jim Acquisto
learned how similar collections of ingredients, including decongestant
pills and anhydrous ammonia, create methamphetamine labs -- the worst
scourge upon western Kentucky in decades.

The class included social workers, therapists, substance abuse counselors,
educators, nurses and members of Community Solutions for Substance Abuse.

"It is an eye-opener, seeing the seriousness of it and the widespreadness
of it," said Robin Rhea, an employee of the family support office of the
Cabinet for Families and Children.

Rhea first heard of meth in 1998 when six labs were discovered while he was
living in Webster County. Daviess County's first meth lab also surfaced in
1998. Since then more than 300 labs have been found and dismantled by
Daviess County authorities.

Rhea said he plans to use the information about the drug's physiological
effects, symptoms, withdrawal and warning signs "at the office and also in
my personal life," he said. "I've had some friends and some relatives who
have had problems with meth."

The training segment included extensive statistics and photographs. The
class topics included an overview of meth making, hazards of dismantling
labs and effects of the drug on addicts. The class ended with information
about enforcement efforts, obstacles and what is being done to combat the
problem.

"It's going on in more lives in this community than you or I or anyone else
can imagine," Cain said. "Methamphetamine is not a law enforcement problem,
it's a community problem."

Cain detailed the drug's effect on addicts, including the several-minute
rush, followed by up to 16 hours of a high, which gives users a false sense
of confidence, power, energy and hyperactivity. Often people using the drug
are able to stay awake and be productive for days, but it is followed by an
equally dramatic crash.

When addicts experience withdrawal from meth the symptoms include
depression, confusion and restlessness, which could last up to a month,
Cain said. The feelings are so unpleasant that many addicts return to meth
to ease the pain, he said.

The sheriff's department fields between 15 to 20 calls each day associated
with methamphetamine, Cain said. Police believe that a rise in rates of
spouse abuse and violence directed toward police since 1997 is connected
with the introduction of meth into western Kentucky.

Almost all people who sell meth also use the drug, Acquisto said. About one
of every three meth makers is armed, which combined with sleeplessness and
paranoia among users is even more dangerous.

Class participant Lawrence Carter, a juvenile services worker with the
Department of Juvenile Justice, deals with children who violate the law.
Monday's training will give him more insight when looking for clues of
substance abuse among children, he said.

Carter described the class as informative, and was surprised at the
household items used in the meth making process.

"We know that whether it's marijuana, whatever, any drug is bad," Carter
said. "Listening to Sheriff Cain, we know this is the worst."

The class was sponsored by RiverValley Behavioral Health and its regional
prevention and early intervention center. The class expenses were covered
by Daviess County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP).