METH LABS HAVE BECOME OUR REGION'S SCOURGE

Tennessee's first statewide conference on methamphetamine labs is under way
in Nashville - a timely recognition of a problem that has grown with
menacing speed.

While meth labs seem to have begun in California and later migrated to the
Midwest, it is to Tennessee, and in particular the scenic and secluded
hollows of our region, where the addictive stimulant's concentration seems
especially acute. Tennessee now leads the nation in meth lab busts.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) spent approximately $22 million last year
just to clean up the health hazard created by clandestine meth labs across
the nation. Last year in Tennessee, 804 labs were discovered and
confiscated by authorities. The cleanup cost was $3.1 million. This year,
1,083 labs have been identified by local, state or federal officials.

Earlier this year, agents from the Third Judicial District Drug Task Force,
assisted by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Department Narcotics Unit, raided
what officials say was the biggest meth lab found in this part of the
state. Disturbingly, that raid was the seventh meth lab found in Hawkins
County and throughout the region; others have been located since. Such a
lab exploded in Bulls Gap in May last year, killing two men and critically
injuring another.

As the pace of illegal lab discovery and confiscation increases, it's
becoming exceedingly clear that our region has become a kind of mecca for
meth production activity.

Narcotics experts say meth cooks and traffickers often operate in small
towns and rural areas. They find them perfect havens to make and distribute
their dangerous drug.

Meth continues to ruin countless lives, filling jails and prisons - and
morgues - flooding courts and frustrating overworked law enforcement agencies.

Officials say citizen information is critical to shutting these labs down.
Unfortunately, most may be unaware they're living in proximity to this
dangerous, criminal activity. Here are some tell-tale signs:

. Strong odors similar to that of fingernail polish remover or urine.

. Residences with windows blacked out.

. Renters who pay their landlords in cash. (Most drug dealers trade
exclusively in cash).

. Lots of traffic, with people coming and going at unusual times. There may
be little traffic during the day, but at night, the activity increases
dramatically.

. Purchases of large amounts of products, especially cold medicines.

. Excessive trash, including large amounts of items such as antifreeze
containers, drain cleaner, lantern fuel cans, red chemically stained coffee
filters, batteries and drain cleaner.

If you observe any of these signs, immediately contact your nearest law
enforcement agency. If a store clerk notices someone buying suspicious
amounts of the items used to make meth, they are asked to report the
purchase to a toll-free number, 1-877-TNN-METH (866-6384).

As this week's meeting in Nashville demonstrates, the fight against
methamphetamine is a tough one requiring the effort of every level of law
enforcement from the local to the federal. That effort will take time, and
results will be hard to measure for some time to come.

Meantime, the public can play an important role in alerting law enforcement
if they suspect a clandestine lab is being operated in their vicinity.