CHILD ABUSE CAN NOW BE CHARGED IN METH LAB CASES

Drug users and sellers who deal in methamphetamine can now be charged with
child abuse if children are found in a place where that deadly substance is
found. And unfortunately, many children in this area have been endangered
by meth.

A state law which went into effect in July addresses that danger.

It's a new law aimed at protecting children from the growing problem of
meth use in this state, and it's "a step in the right direction," says
District Attorney Bill Gibson.

The fumes from "cooking" meth can be deadly, as are some of the substances
used in the concoction.

There is also a danger of explosions during the cooking process. Anyone
breathing the fumes may become sick and could die from complications.

So the latest law allowing for charging meth users or handlers with abuse
of children is a good thing, the DA says.

So many children have been removed from homes due to meth being found there
that the Dept. of Children's Services is facing "a foster care crisis now,"
Gibson said.

"We've had so many cases of meth in this district and they've had to remove
so many children from homes that those children are currently taking up
almost all the foster care homes we have," he said.

The new law, giving prosecutors one more charge to lodge against meth
makers, is welcomed, Gibson said.

But it's just one step, and not nearly all that is needed to fight the
growing problem, he said.

"A whole lot more legislation is needed for us to ever be able to
effectively combat the meth problem," said Gibson, whose staff has
prosecuted hundreds of meth cases all over this district in recent years.

Tennessee's laws on illegal drugs simply do not adequately address the
severe problem that the synthetic drug has become, Gibson said.

"The laws we have on the books about illegal drugs simply never anticipated
the problem this drug has become," he said.

"There are so many more difficulties when it's such a deadly substance that
can be produced in the home with recipes that are widely available and
components easy to buy," he said.

Current laws just do not do enough to deter the crime of cooking,
possessing, or buying and selling meth.

What Gibson and other prosecutors would like to see would be a mandatory
minimum prison sentence for anyone convicted of manufacturing meth or
attempting to manufacture it.

But the state legislature has not passed any such law, partly because it
would carry a big price tag and the state's budget crises of the last few
years have prevented taking such steps.

Prosecutors also hope for more preventive measures to fight the problem.

"We believe more time, effort, and funds should be spent on educating about
this drug," the DA said.

"I truly believe that even some drug addicts would stay clear of meth if
they understood beforehand what's going to happen to them.

"The addiction is really quick and it's very strong, and people who get
addicted are said to have a life expectancy of about five years."

He said very few meth addicts are ever able to shake the habit, and some
who appear to have succeeded in getting off the substance may go back to it
even after a lengthy time of being clean.

"This problem, which has grown so big, still hasn't been here long enough
for us to have much information about long term rates of shaking the
habit," Gibson said. "But I don't think the chances are good for addicts to
beat the problem."

For users, the drug causes manic highs with sleeplessness, delusions, and
paranoia.

And for innocent bystanders, such as children in homes where the stuff is
being produced, the dangers may be even more severe and immediate due to
poisonous fumes and explosive ingredients.

"So, yes, we're glad we can now charge those who expose children to this
with more than just the drug charge," the DA said.

"But I wish our state could afford to strengthen our laws to fight the
problem harder."