DA INTENSIFIES FIGHT AGAINST METH

Chief Prosecutor, Law Enforcement Educating Public About Grisly Drug

Tell-tale signs of methamphetamine addiction, indicators of
production labs and appropriate responses to both were were among
information presented Wednesday during Clarksville Civitan's weekly
meeting. Montgomery County District Attorney John Carney discussed
the dangers of methamphetamine before screening an informational
video, "Meth Destroys," which was created by the Tennessee District
Attorneys General Conference. Carney, along with Sheriff Norman Lewis
and other members of the local law enforcement community, have made
similar presentations at high schools in Montgomery County.

As Civitan members watched the video, eyes widened and heads shook
while experts and former meth addicts talked about the grisly effects
of the drug -- from frightening photos of people with blackened gums,
rotten teeth and withering hair, to the harrowing story of Tennessee
man, David Parnell, who shot himself in the head during a
meth-induced suicide attempt. Every bone in Parnell's face, except
his left eye socket, was shattered by the bullet.

Miraculously, Parnell survived after being declared dead shortly
after the shooting and is committed to educating teens and adults
about the risks of the drug that nearly killed him.

"That was a wonderful presentation," said Civitan member Ernie
Woodward. "I'm involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters
organization, and I think this would be a great thing for them to see."

Those who survive a meth addiction are frequently stricken with
diminished mental ability, paranoia, memory loss, weight loss,
internal bleeding and a increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

"I've been in law enforcement and prosecution for 34 years, and I've
never seen anything like this," Carney said about meth, which is also
known by names like, "crank," "fire," "glass," "ice" and "yaba." Meth
is often a cocktail of ingredients, including everything from rubbing
alcohol, battery acid and farm fertilizer to medicines containing
pseudoephedrine.

Thanks to the Meth-Free Tennessee Act of 2005, pharmacies now require
customers to present a government-issued ID before they can buy drugs
containing pseudoephedrine. The legislation, which Carney helped
write, also stiffened the manufacture of meth from a Class E felony
to a Class B or D felony. The highly addictive properties of meth --
coupled with chemical ingredients not quickly metabolized in the body
- -- are what make the drug so hazardous. According to the state
Attorneys General Conference Web site, many meth users become
addicted after their first use and the habit is extremely difficult to break.

"As a group, we're able to spread the word about the dangers of
meth," said Civitan President Debbie Hutchinson. "That's why these
presentations are so important."

In Montgomery County, one meth-related arrest has been made during
the last 12 months. An investigation under way by the Sheriff's
Office could yield between 25 and 30 arrests, said Sheriff's
spokesman Ted Denny, who added meth in Montgomery County has not been
"a really bad problem." "We attribute the low numbers to our drug
task force and our aggressive patrol division," Denny said.

"We maintain a very visible presence throughout the county." In 2004,
law enforcement agencies across the state, seized 1,188 meth labs in
Tennessee, which is second only to Missouri for meth manufacturing.