METH LAB BUSTS IN WYOMING DOUBLE IN 2002

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) -- Methamphetamine use held steady in Wyoming this year as
the number of labs seized more than doubled, the Department of Criminal
Investigation said.

Law enforcement officials busted 56 meth labs across the state this year
compared with just 29 in 2001, DCI Director Steve Miller said.

Labs were seized in 14 Wyoming counties, with Laramie County having the
most. Children were found at three of the labs, Miller said.

Accurate figures on meth use are hard to come by, but a recent New York
Times article cited national studies in estimating that one in every 100
Wyoming residents is addicted to methamphetamine.

With a state population of about 500,000 people, that would mean about 5,000
residents use meth. Miller said the estimate sounded about right.

"When you try to get accurate numbers on people who are using illegal drugs
or, for that matter, are using alcohol illegally or underage smoking or
anything like that, the data tends to be pretty unreliable," said addiction
specialist Dr. Bert Toews. "There's no hard data that I'm aware of."

Toews said he believes meth use has stayed about the same in Wyoming over
the past few years.

"I think that addiction, as an overall problem, remains a big problem and
that there are little changes," he said. "But I don't get too excited about
little increases or decreases -- I'm not gonna be out of a job soon.

"I do not think that meth use is decreasing significantly."

Miller and Toews attributed the number of meth labs in Wyoming to greed, an
addiction to taking risks or the need to feed the lab operator's own
addiction.

They attributed the increase in lab busts to better law enforcement.

Meth use has traditionally been more prevalent in Wyoming and other rural
Western states, but there is growing evidence the drug is heading east along
the Interstate 80 corridor, Miller said.

Still, Miller's counterparts in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New
Mexico and Utah all say they are struggling with increased meth use,
manufacturing and trafficking, he said.