RETAILERS SHOULD GET INVOLVED WITH METH WATCH INITIATIVE

As methamphetamine spreads throughout the state - Tennessee is ranked
second in the nation in meth production - it is good to see retailers and
law enforcement take a stand together to battle the drug. Methamphetamine,
also called meth, crystal, crystal meth, speed and crank (not to be
confused with crack, which is a pure form of cocaine), is a highly
addictive and dangerous central nervous system stimulant that is made from
household chemicals widely available at a variety of retailers.

There are several ways to make meth, and some of the ingredients include
salt, rubbing alcohol, drain cleaner, red phosphorous (which comes from the
striking pads of matchbooks) and ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, usually
marketed as bronchodilators or cold medicine.

Meth users and dealers use these ingredients, along with other chemicals,
to make the drug. More and more makeshift meth labs are being discovered in
Sevier County and throughout the rest of Tennessee and the nation. The
making of meth is as dangerous as the drug itself, and police have to use
special hazardous materials suits when raiding meth labs.

The cleanup of meth labs has cost taxpayers millions, and many children
have been taken away from meth-making parents to be put into state custody
for their own safety. In short, the meth problem in Tennessee has reached
epidemic proportions.

David Jennings, interim director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,
announced to attendees of a statewide meth conference that began Monday in
Nashville that the "Tennessee Meth Watch" initiative will begin later this
week.

The program will rely on retailers to display stickers emblazoned with
"Tennessee Meth Watch" and for the stores' employees to call 1-877-TNN-METH
to report suspicious purchases. A similar program has helped curtail the
problem in Kansas.

We encourage local retailers to become involved in this effort.

The Mountain Press will begin a three-part series on how the meth problem
is affecting Sevier County Friday.