IS METH INFESTATION LIKELY IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN?

It's only a matter of time, authorities say, before methamphetamine-a
powerful, illegal stimulant-arrives in southcentral Wisconsin.

Meth already has infected northwestern Wisconsin, where the number of
meth cases has increased tenfold in 10 years.

Authorities say it's not common in Rock or Walworth counties.

Yet.

The spread of methamphetamine, a highly-potent and addictive
stimulant, has authorities and state officials concerned they will
relive an era similar the cocaine craze that swept the country in the
1980s. Only this time, the consequences could be worse.

"What the Drug Enforcement Agency predicted more than 10 years ago is
taking place," said Jim Copple, a drug expert with SAI, a
multi-faceted consulting company. "It is sweeping the Midwest and it
is moving east.

"It is an epidemic."

Some consider methamphetamine-known commonly as meth, crystal meth or
speed-as "the poor man's cocaine." It's generally cheaper to buy, has
a longer-lasting high and more serious side effects than cocaine.

It leads to a multitude of health problems for addicts and to
community problems for residents living in areas where
methamphetamine is available.

When meth is produced locally in homemade labs, toxic waste is left behind.

It's something you definitely don't want around your neighborhood,
said Mike Myszewski, director of the narcotics bureau in the
Wisconsin Department of Justice.

"Eventually, we believe Mexican cartels will start moving meth in
addition to, or as a substitute for cocaine," Myszewski said.

"It may not happen next week, next month or next year. That's
anybody's guess. But the situation is somewhat analogous of what
crack cocaine was in the early 1980s.

"You know it's going to come.

"You know it's a problem.

"You know it's going to hit."

Moving Meth

Years ago, meth crept across the Mexican border into the southwestern
United States.

From there, the homemade drug made its way into California and
headed north and east.

During the last 10 years, it arrived in the Midwest, becoming popular
in Minnesota and Iowa.

Methamphetamine first arrived in Wisconsin via traditional
drug-trafficking corridors, particularly along Interstate 94 from
Minneapolis, Myszewski said.

It started in the northwestern Wisconsin because the drug market was
less saturated and because the sparse population made it easier to
hide the stinky labs and dispose of the resulting toxic waste, Myszewski said.

Until recently, locally made methamphetamine accounted for about 80
percent of the meth used in northwestern Wisconsin, according to the
Wisconsin Attorney General's Office.

The number of local labs fell, however, because new laws limit
availability of over-the-counter cold and flu medication containing
pseudoephedrine, a chemical necessary for making meth.

Authorities believe meth imported from Minnesota, Iowa and some from
Chicago now accounts for about 95 percent of the drug in Wisconsin,
Myszewski said.

Attorney General Peggy Lautenschlager said meth is spreading
throughout the state via gang trafficking.

"As a result of the increase in meth coming in from outside the
state-primarily Mexican national meth-what we're seeing is more and
more urban meth," Lautenschlager said at a recent press conference.
"It's coming from more and more traditional drug sources."

The imported meth is filling the void left when the local labs
stopped production, Lautenschlager said.

"It's a plague on rural America at this point," Myszewski said.
"Eventually Mexican gangs and other gangs will bring it to the urban
areas. The profit motive is extreme.

"The only thing that really prevented it from happening so far (in
southern Wisconsin) is customer resistance. People using cocaine are
happy using that drug. They haven't seen a reason to change."

Local plague? Not yet

No one is really sure if and when methamphetamine will arrive en mass
in southcentral and southeastern Wisconsin.

Rock and Walworth county authorities report just a handful of minor
possession arrests in recent years.

Walworth County has, however, uncovered several small labs and one
waste dump since 2003, according to figures from Lautenschlager's office.

The most recent discovery of meth activity in Walworth County was a
dumpsite near the village of Sharon.

Sgt. Jeff Patek of the Walworth County Drug Unit said the site had
some elements signifying it might have been a working lab.

"We've had at least one or two labs per year in the last two years,"
Patek said.

Rock and Green counties have reported no lab discoveries in recent
years, according to Lautenschlager's figures.

Controlling the problem

Fighting the spread of methamphetamine needs to be a multi-faceted
approach, Lautenschlager said.

It takes education, money, new laws and regional partnerships, she said.

The Oct. 1 passing of Wisconsin's pseudoephedrine control law took
away easy access to one of the key ingredients in making meth. That
has been one factor in reducing the number of labs in the state.
Police found more than 100 labs found in Wisconsin in 2002, but the
2005 total is expected to be fewer than 70 labs, Lautenschlager said.

The law also allows law enforcement officers to focus on
investigating imported methamphetamine, Lautenschlager said.

Lautenschlager said enforcement is only part of the solution.

"Putting Sudafed behind the shelves in pharmacies is not going to fix
the meth problem," she said. "Making laws to protect children will
not alone fix the meth problem. Hiring more officers is not going to
fix the meth problem. Treatment is not going to fix the meth problem.

"It needs to be addressed in a multi-faceted, community-based way."

Copple said communities should be prepared for the potential invasion
of methamphetamine. If they don't, the consequences could be devastating.

"While the numbers of users may not be the highest compared to
cocaine, heroin, marijuana and alcohol, it is the No. 1 law
enforcement problem facing our communities," he said.

"It is severe and it is acute."