METH POSES POTENT HAZARD TO TENNESSEANS

While the misuse of the painkiller OxyContin has dominated media
reports for the past couple of years, Sullivan County Sheriff Wayne
Anderson says a new drug scourge is rapidly advancing toward our
area. And, says Sheriff Anderson, "It will make OxyContin look like
candy.''

The drug is methamphetamine - "meth'' in street parlance. And
Tennessee is shaping up as the latest battleground for its use.

Last year, the sheriff says, more than 800 methamphetamine labs were
discovered and destroyed in the state - more than in any other. Why
so many? The answer, unfortunately, is that making meth is easy,
albeit dangerous. And it's inexpensive.

Ironically, federal attempts to end illegal methamphetamine
production by restricting access to the necessary chemicals in 1989
and 1994 have resulted in clandestine manufacturers finding easier,
cheaper methods. Today, bootleg meth labs commonly use ephedrine or
pseudephedrine tablets, a common, over-the-counter decongestant not
controlled by the Chemical Diversion Trafficking Act (CDTA).

How easy is it to make methamphetamine? Quite literally, a child
could do it. And, worse yet, step-by-step instructions a child can
follow are readily available all over the Internet.

One of the most popular methods of such drug manufacture is known
popularly as "Nazi Meth.'' This method derives its name from the
first known publication of the recipe in a German journal from the
1930s. German soldiers were given low doses of the drug to relieve
fatigue and boost endurance.

The Nazi method, utilizing pseudephedrine, produces relatively pure
meth very quickly - in about three hours.

The process - which we won't go into here for obvious reasons - is
distressingly simple. Suffice it to say, it takes almost no technical
knowledge to make methamphetamine, and so-called kitchen labs are
popping up in neighborhoods across the state.

The odor from such labs is pungent and easily recognized. Most
describe the smell as "urine-like." The explosive combination of
chemicals used in "cooking'' the methamphetamine is extremely harmful
and can cause serious injury or death.

Sheriff Anderson is right to be worried about methamphetamine. Meth
has ruined countless lives, continues to fill jails and prisons,
floods the courts and frustrates law enforcement.

Because most people may be unaware that they're living near a meth
lab, here are some things to be aware of:

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 - 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, drain cleaner and duct tape.

If you observe any of these tell-tale signs, report it immediately to
your nearest law enforcement agency. Ending the scourge of "Nazi
meth'' begins with each of us.