METH BECOMING A LOCAL PLAGUE

Methamphetamine is a word I can barely say, much less spell. So for the
purposes of this column, I will just call it meth if that is OK with you.

It is a word I had never heard of until a few years ago. It is also a word
that has caused Congressman Zack Wamp to go out of his way to seek federal
funding to deal with it.

Meth is a word you will also come to learn if you haven't already. It is a
deadly plague that has done some of its greatest harm to children. Like a
plague, it has swept across this country into Tennessee. It is now knocking
on your door whether you hear it or not.

Meth is the new drug on the scene. It is both illegal and very addictive.
It is being made in bathrooms, car trunks, basements, garages, on the side
of the road, and in homes. It is going on right under your very nose, and
you may not even know it.

It is made with common household products you have in your home or you can
buy in your neighborhood. Use of the drug is dangerous enough, but the very
presence of the stuff is in itself a very dangerous thing.

Even though the household products used to make meth are generally safe
when used according to their design, when mixed to make meth, they can
become very dangerous. They can become explosive or give off toxic fumes
that attack mucous membranes, skin, eyes and the respiratory tract.

Innocent people, including children, have died when meth labs have blown
up. An explosion in one neighborhood filled the air with toxic chemicals.
There are things you can do as a citizen to prevent this.

First, be on the lookout in your neighborhood. As with any illegal drug
activity, there are red flags. Houses with frequent visitors at all times,
late-night activity, curtains drawn, no visible means of support,
suspicious passersby, extensive security, chemical odors, and garbage with
numerous containers are a few of the potential red flags. Alone, any of
these signals may not mean anything, but several of them happening together
may indicate a problem.

Products used to make meth may include such things as cold tablets,
alcohol, acetone, engine starter, drain cleaner, gasoline additives, salt,
batteries, fertilizer, Iye, matches, iodine and gun scrubber, but this list
is not exhaustive. Equipment may include Pyrex or Corning ware, jugs,
bottles, funnels, coffee filters, cheesecloth, blender, rubber tubing or
gloves, paper towels, gas can, tape or clamps, hotplate, strainer, aluminum
foil, propane or thermos cylinder, books or Internet notes.

If you locate several of these items, especially if they are associated
with the red flags mentioned, you should be concerned. You should follow up
on that concern by calling your local law enforcement agency or the meth
task force at 1-866-RID-METH. Because of the help of Congressman Zack Wamp
and many others, the federal government has made money available to combat
this problem. Representatives from the U.S. Attorney's Office, along with
numerous federal, state and local agencies have been working together for
months to coordinate their activities.

When meth information is received, various law enforcement agencies work
together to investigate and gather the facts. When arrests are made, it is
a coordinated effort that involves individuals trained to handle hazardous
materials. The Department of Children's Services participate if there are
children involved.

Those assigned the responsibility to investigate, clean up and prosecute
meth cases have a tough job, but they have been getting it done. Numerous
offenders have gone to jail and many more will before it stops. Those who
go in on a raid never know what kind of volatile or hazardous materials
they will encounter.

After the raid, the clean up is often slow and dangerous. It takes special
training and equipment to do it safely and properly . There are often
children to look after because many offenders are conducting their
dangerous trade in their home in front of their own children. When the
parents are arrested, the children must be removed to a safe location and
someone found to care for them.

The meth threat is here and it is real. Many people have been working hard
to keep it at bay, but they cannot do it alone. It is a community problem,
and it will take a community coming together to be rid of this new drug threat.