PUT METH TO DEATH

Public Should Demand Tough New Laws

Dec. 4, 2005 12:00 AM Cities recognize what the state Legislature
refuses to see.

Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale and Surprise are among those limiting
access to the raw ingredients for methamphetamine. Other cities are
considering the move.

Cities are acting because state lawmakers failed last session to give
Arizona a tough tool that has significantly reduced the number of
meth labs in other states.

Cities are acting because those meth labs make dangerous neighbors.
And no matter where you live, meth labs are in the neighborhood.

These volatile kitchen labs have been busted in every legislative
district in the state, Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard told
The Republic Editorial Board last week.

Goddard brought Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson to the board
meeting to begin building a case for passing a necessary state law
next legislative session. He didn't have to convince us. We strongly
supported the legislation that failed last session.

Edmondson's experience in Oklahoma is one Arizona lawmakers need to
consider carefully. If they still resist doing the right thing, the
people of Arizona are going to have to apply the spurs. Sharply.

A state law is necessary because this statewide problem cannot be
addressed piecemeal. Even if every city in Arizona enacted
regulations, there would be large unincorporated areas where meth
"cookers" could get the ingredients for their toxic brew.

Oklahoma was the first state to restrict the over-the-counter cold
and allergy pills that are the active ingredient in meth. That law
put pseudoephedrine products behind the pharmacy counter and requires
a photo ID and signature from purchasers. It has resulted in a 90
percent reduction in the number of meth labs in the 19 months since it passed.

"The drop in meth lab busts is real," Edmondson says.

Some dismiss the accomplishment by saying meth use has not decreased.
There is a steady supply of the drug being smuggled in from Mexico.

Edmondson agrees that smuggled meth represents a huge law enforcement
challenge, but he points out that closing down local meth labs is a
significant benefit to the neighborhoods where they once operated.

Not only do the labs "cook" volatile and explosive chemical brews,
they also produce five pounds of toxic waste for every pound of meth.
Toxic fumes leak from these houses and apartments. Crime ripples around them.

One of the most heartbreaking of those crimes is child abuse. The
Arizona Childhood Fatality Review Team's recent annual report found
that one in five child deaths caused by mistreatment in 2004 involved
methamphetamine use.

The stuff is poison. It takes over an individual's life. In addition
to violent crimes, meth use is closely associated with identity theft.

Yes, there is a big difference between going after local meth labs
and curbing the use of an illicit drug that is available elsewhere.
Arizona, which leads the nation in meth use by 12- to 17-year-olds,
needs to do both. Enhanced education, prevention and treatment are
essential to address meth use.

A tough state law that makes it harder for meth labs to operate in
your neighborhood is also essential, and clearly in the interest of
public health and safety. The law the Legislature approved last year
was a wimpy cop-out that does not require a record of sales.
Edmondson says Oklahoma tried that approach and it didn't work.

He knows what does works. So do more than two dozen states that have
adopted measures similar to Oklahoma's.

Arizona needs to do the same by giving the state's meth law some backbone.