FEARING SPREAD OF METH LABS, OFFICIALS SOUND WARNING BELL

Prompted by signs that methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug that has
swept across the nation, could become a major problem in northeastern
Massachusetts, law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm and taking
steps to limit its spread.

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett is warning residents to stay away
from the powerful stimulant, commonly known as meth, that can be snorted,
smoked, or injected.

While there have been local meth arrests in the last year in Gloucester,
Everett, and Haverhill, the drug's distribution and use in Massachusetts
has until now been markedly low compared with other parts of the country,
particularly the West Coast and rural areas. But that could soon change,
Blodgett believes, if the cost of heroin -- still available locally at
cheap prices -- begins to increase.

"Now that we have so many people -- a new generation unfortunately hooked
on heroin -- the dealers are going to start raising the prices," Blodgett said.

Once the price of heroin rises, Blodgett believes the price of meth will
come down. According to State Police Lieutenant Dennis Brooks, a one-gram
dose of meth is now sold in this area for $200, while a half-gram of heroin
costs $40. Single doses of heroin can be purchased for as low as $4,
Blodgett said.

"People always try new things," said Blodgett, who predicts that some
heroin addicts will make the transition from opiates to meth if the
marketplace changes.

The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has discovered meth labs in the
state this year -- including a lab in Everett and one discovered this week
in Boston -- and is ahead of last year's pace, when it broke up three meth
labs. "All of the labs have been small personal labs," said Tony Pettigrew,
a DEA spokesman.

With the US Department of Health and Human Services reporting in 2002 that
12 million people age 12 and older had used methamphetamine at least once,
there is reason to worry about the drug, he said. Currently, the drug is
distributed from Mexico and the southwestern United States, said Pettigrew.
But Blodgett worries that, in time, more local users will learn how to make
the drug.

In 2004, the DEA reported that 17,170 meth labs were seized in the United
States.

Meth can be produced from pseudoephedrine, a decongestant used in cold
medicines such as Sudafed and sold legally in stores. In the labs, large
quantities of the tablets are crushed, heated, and combined with other
easily purchased chemicals to create methamphetamine. Once ingested, the
drug produces a hyper-alert high that can last as long as 12 hours.

Retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, and Walgreens have placed pills
containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter, in an attempt to limit mass
sales of the drugs. Earlier this summer, Revere's mayor asked all city
pharmacists and retailers to do the same.

But some officials in the state want stricter measures. The Revere City
Council and state Senator Harriette L. Chandler, have proposed bills
requiring consumers to show photo identification and sign a logbook when
purchasing the cold medications. Both proposals call for limited purchase
of the drugs.

"I think this is one time I'm hoping that we're in front of it," said
George Festa, director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas federal
program in New England.

Festa believes that enacting legislation is critical to limiting the drug's
spread. Without local labs, dealers would be forced to continue to ship the
drug into the area through the mail, or by car, said Festa, the former top
drug agent at the DEA in New England.

Kevin Norton, president and chief executive officer of CAB Health and
Recovery Services, said heroin is still the primary drug that causes people
to check into his organization's 75-bed detox facility in Danvers.
"Probably less than 3 percent of the population that we serve are
indicating crystal meth use," said Norton.

While police consider heroin the biggest problem here, meth has been
identified by the National Association of Counties as the leading
drug-related law enforcement problem in the country.

John Arahovites, a Haverhill police sergeant, said availability is the key
to the spread of any drug. "It's all price and demand," said Arahovites.
"The more availability, the cheaper the price, and the more addicts."

In Lynn, Gary Langis, who manages CAB's HIV program, is teaching his staff
about how dangerous meth can be.

Langis, who has worked with heroin addicts for more than 15 years, said
abusers addicted to both heroin and cocaine are more likely to switch to
meth than a person solely using heroin. He also said young people who are
experimenting with drugs may be the most susceptible group because meth is
so addictive.

Langis fears that the region could see a new outbreak of the HIV virus by
meth users who share needles. "When people are on that drug, they don't
care about anything," said Langis.