METHAMPHETAMINE SPREADING IN STATE

Methamphetamine, commonly called Meth, is a drug many people had never
heard of until recent years. Yet it has spread through our state at a
dangerous rate, taking a toll on our people, our environment, and our local
governments.

Congress has taken action to combat Methamphetamine, recently providing $20
million to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in Tennessee and
across the country with the cleanup of toxic meth labs.

The production of Methamphetamine, a dangerous chemical process carried out
in labs often hidden in private homes, many times results in chemical
explosions and fires. While dangerous to manufacturers and users who face
serious burns and long-term consequences including lung disease and rotting
teeth, children living side-by-side with labs are affected as well.

Tennessee investigators arrested several adults on child abuse and neglect
charges earlier this year after young children were discovered in homes and
apartments housing labs. In the worst of these cases, a small child died in
February of cardiac arrest reportedly caused by complications from severe
burns suffered during a meth lab explosion.

Methamphetamine production also threatens our environment, with five or six
pounds of toxic waste generated by every pound of meth produced. And the
cleanup of just one meth lab costs from $3,000 to $100,000, depleting the
financial resources of our local communities.

Tennessee law enforcement officials have actively responded to the meth
problem, shutting down labs and arresting manufacturers and distributors.
In Dunlap during a three-day meth crackdown in October, Sequatchie County
Sheriffs investigators confiscated at least four working meth labs leading
to 13 arrests.

In September, members of the Marion County Drug Task Force destroyed
approximately 30 labs and arrested 58 people on charges ranging from
possession of marijuana to manufacturing meth. According to the National
Drug Intelligence Center, 510 meth labs were seized in Tennessee between
January 1999 and July 2001.

With the funds set aside by Congress, in addition to a $1 million grant
pledged to Southeast Tennessee by the Department of Justice, our local law
enforcement officers will be able to continue eradicating these labs and
protecting our environment without draining limited resources from our
local communities.

Meth is a dangerous drug, not only for what it does to users and
manufacturers, but also for what it does to the innocent bystanders who are
dragged into its path. Finding and destroying labs is the first step in
combating the underworld of Methamphetamine and I'm very pleased Congress
is supporting these efforts.