OWENS PUTS BULL'S-EYE ON COLORADO METH LABS

Gov. Bill Owens proposed two bills Wednesday that are aimed at
cracking down on the state's growing number of methamphetamine labs.

By the end of the year, police throughout Colorado will have raided
about 450 labs, compared with 264 last year, Owens said.

"This is one of the most devastating drugs we've ever dealt with in
Colorado," Owens said.

The first bill would make it a felony to possess unusually large
quantities of cold medications or diet pills that contain pseudo-
ephedrine, one of the ingredients used to manufacture
methamphetamine.

The bill does not spell out what quantities would be considered
suspicious, said co-sponsor Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver. It requires
prosecutors to prove the person intended to use the pills to
manufacture methamphetamine, with evidence such as lab equipment.

The other bill would outlaw the possession of the lithium metal found
in batteries or the equipment typically found in a methamphetamine
lab.

Owens noted that methamphetamine is not a drug that can be intercepted
while it is smuggled into the United States, like cocaine or heroin.

"In this case, we're dealing with a drug that can be manufactured
literally within the four walls of a suburban home," Owens said.

The drug's highly toxic byproducts -- five gallons of hazardous waste
for every gallon of the drug produced -- endanger people living near
those labs, he said.

Narcotics officers say they often intercept suspects with car trunks
full of cold capsules or diet pills. But since the substances are
legal, there is nothing they can do.

Lt. Lori Moriarity of the North Metro Drug Task Force noted that
similar laws have been passed in other Western states such as Utah,
Wyoming and Washington.

"We can't wait until we're 1,500 meth labs down before we make changes
in the law," she said. "We can't afford to let that happen."