METH & DESTRUCTION, PART III

State legislators are trying to clamp down on the production of
methamphetamine by putting harsh restrictions on cold tablets
containing pseudoephedrine, one of the key ingredients of meth production.

In 2004, Oklahoma became the first state to restrict the sale of
pseudoephedrine-containing medicine like Sudafed, NyQuil and Sinutab.

Texas soon followed suit, with a 2005 bill that limits the sale of
tablet forms of pseudoephedrine products to pharmacies. Pills that
have pseudoephedrine as the only active ingredient must be kept
behind pharmacy counters or in a locked case within 30 feet from the
pharmacy counter.

Customers who wish to purchase the medicine must first show photo
identification and sign for the purchase. Quantities are limited to
no more than two packages or six grams at one time.

While the state is working on curbing meth production and use, Walker
County District Attorney David Weeks said locally, the drug is alive and well.

"You know, I thought that crack was the worst plague that we had ever
seen, but I think meth is worse," Weeks said. "From what I've seen,
it's more addictive, it's more destructive, it's more violent. It's
just about the worst thing you can come across."

Weeks said the problem is beginning to get worse.

"I think it's continuing to go up," Weeks said of meth use in Walker
County. "We're seeing it in all walks of life. Meth is one of those
drugs if you use it one time, it's real easy to get addicted to and
it's a powerful addiction.

"The whole thing is just a nightmare for law enforcement, because
people that take it stay up for days and days. They're paranoid,
they're violent, they're dangerous and the drugs just eat them up
from the inside out. Then, when you get to a place where they're
making meth, you're dealing with a hazardous waste area that's
extremely volatile and is a risk for anybody that goes in there."

When encountering a meth addict in a courtroom, Weeks said punishment
can't be the first thing on their agenda. Above all else, they are
trying to get that person some help in getting off the drug.

However, that task is much easier said than done.

"It is so incredibly addictive," Weeks said. "Just based on my
experience dealing with it, it's more addictive than crack cocaine.
It's an addiction that's harder to break and on top of it all, it
literally eats away at people. The stuff it's made out of is
incredibly corrosive.

"To get people off of methamphetamine, it takes numerous treatments,
a lot of work and it's just not easy to break that meth addiction."

Weeks said he would love to see a stronger drug enforcement presence
in the county, but the elimination of the Central East Texas
Narcotics Task Force last month has really thrown a wrench in those gears.

The task force was shut down after the grant that funded the program
for more than a decade was redirected by the state.

"(Meth is) the primary emphasis of our drug interdiction programs,"
Weeks said. "At the moment, though, we're behind the eight ball,
because the task force got closed. That's a killer."

Still, Weeks said Walker County isn't giving up the fight. He said he
has been meeting with the Walker County Sheriff's Office, Huntsville
Police Department, University Police Department and Walker County
Constables to work on how they will pick up where the task force left off.

"We're going to meet again Dec. 1 with literally every law
enforcement agency in the county," Weeks said. "We're going to sit
down and talk and that's going to be a big issue, because all of us
are concerned of what we are going to do to fight drugs with the loss
of the task force. We're going to put every effort into making sure
that we continue to do what we can.

"It's going to be difficult, though. The loss of the task force was a
real body blow."