METH IS OUT OF CONTROL

"We're number one! We're number one!"

We imagine that many of you remember chanting this during your high school
years, cheering on the hometown team with the notion that your city or
county was superior in every way to others.

Unfortunately, Franklin County is number one in an area that we should be
ashamed of.

That's because according to figures maintained by the Federal Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA), Franklin County is now considered the top
producer of the illegal drug methamphetamine in the state of Tennessee.

Figures show that as of the middle of last week, 52 labs have been found in
rural Franklin County.

Also, Winchester police officials states that they have confiscated 32 so
far this year.

But this is no surprise to anyone who reads this paper on a regular basis.
Arrests involve homemade labs occur so often in this county that many have
become accustomed to seeing the words "meth" in nearly any recent edition
of this publication.

Considering 1,154 clandestine meth labs were found statewide in fiscal 2003
compared to 235 in fiscal 2000, it's obvious this problem is growing.

This is a plague that affects not only the people who become addicted to
it, but also their children, who often are placed in state custody because
meth users can no longer care for them.

All meth makers need is a house, apartment, out-of-the-way trailer or shed
and ingredients such as cold pills containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine,
rubbing alcohol, drain cleaner and matches.

With a concoction made of those substances, it is little wonder people who
use it are on the fast track to a grave, jails or hospitals.
State Representative Judd Matheny says meth use is spreading like wild fire
in southern middle Tennessee and he's already working on tough new
legislation aimed at cracking down on makers and users.

Matheny, a Tullahoma Republican, says he is working to raise criminal
penalties for meth makers and users to a tougher Class D felony offense
that would fetch longer jail terms and higher fines.

He also wants legislation that would limit the wholesale and retail sales
of common household and over-the-counter medications used to make the drug.
His proposed bill would require a photo i.d., signature, and statement of
use from anyone buying large amounts of cold medications, rubbing alcohol
or machines.

Raising the penalties against the makers of the drug would be a great
idea...and it's one that we have discussed before.

Too often, the amount of bond that is set for suspects charged with making
meth in this county is far too low. The ones who get nabbed are often out
of jail in less than 24 hours and go right back and start making the drug
again.

However, some people who have been arrested multiple times for making meth
now have to face federal prosecution.

It's a much different game in this ballpark. Instead of forking over a few
hundred dollars to the bondsman and going home after only several hours in
the county lock up, these folks are looking at serious fines and long
prison terms.

If strong penalties were handed out to begin with, perhaps those first time
users and makers of the drug would find a reason to stop before they end up
spending a long part of their lives behind bars...or a brief stay at the
funeral home.