Cleaning Up Meth In Our Communities

December 9, 2005, While visiting a Middle Tennessee high school about a year ago, I asked a group of students to tell me about the most troubling issue facing them. The response shocked me. These students weren’t concerned about getting a date to the prom or winning the upcoming football game; they were concerned about friends who were trying meth.

As we know all too well, the drug’s popularity is increasing in Tennessee. The rampant abuse is such a problem because meth can be produced from household ingredients in small “mom-and-pop” labs. The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that more than 1,300 meth labs were seized in Tennessee last year.

That’s why all of us must work together to help curb meth abuse in Middle Tennessee.

If you suspect a meth lab is in your community, alert the proper authorities. Signs of a meth lab include strong odors similar to fingernail polish, frequent nighttime traffic, obstructed windows, and trash containing large amounts of cold tablet containers, bottles or jars attached to rubber tubing, household batteries and cans of chemicals and cleaning products. To report a suspected meth lab, contact local law enforcement or the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-877-TNN-METH.

If you know someone who is addicted to meth, help them seek treatment. Prolonged meth abuse is virtually a death sentence for users. The euphoric effects of the drug are coupled with severe side effects, including rotting teeth, brain damage, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, internal bleeding and kidney failure. If you want to help a friend or relative seek treatment, contact the state’s Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services at 1-800-889-9789.

Part of what makes meth so terrible is how it impacts the people around the user. Families are destroyed by the drug. Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services reports that about 700 children are taken from homes where meth is being manufactured and placed into state custody each year.

I don’t want Tennessee to lead the nation in meth production. I will work with my congressional colleagues to make sure local officials have the resources they need to fight meth. And I urge you to do all you can to keep meth abuse from spreading further in Middle Tennessee.