Methamphetamine is a highly addictive illegal drug that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms include dilated pupils, sweating, dry mouth, flushed skin and tremors. Users may also exhibit aggressive and psychotic behavior, irritability, anxiety, paranoia and auditory hallucinations. If meth users survive their addiction, long-term effects can include serious cardiac and neurological damage.

Meth doesn’t just wreak havoc on users. The chemicals used to make the drug can damage the kidney, liver and central nervous system of anyone who may be exposed to them.

Also, these chemicals can leech into walls, carpets, furniture, clothing, plaster, wood and even the surrounding soil. The manufacture of meth not only poisons the area in which it is manufactured, it also creates a volatile and highly flammable situation … explosions and fires are not uncommon.

I cannot list all the poisons that go into making meth because it is such a long list; however, some of the chemicals used include acetone, starter fluid, drain cleaner, lye, antifreeze, paint thinner, iodine, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, battery acid, and other highly poisonous substances. In fact, meth is so poisonous, so toxic, that the area where it is manufactured must be cleaned and decontaminated by Hazmat teams in protective clothing. The cost of cleaning the remnants of a meth lab can run anywhere from $2,000 to over $20,000.

In addition to the immediate costs of cleaning contaminated meth lab sites, meth use contributes to domestic violence, child abuse, automobile accidents and increased local, state and federal taxpayer dollars to pay for additional law enforcement, social services, medical costs and emergency room use. Also, since the drug is typically injected, usage can spread infectious diseases when addicts share needles.

Some meth makers practice the hit-and-run tactic of setting up operations in temporary quarters such as hotels or motel rooms. By doing this, they hope to stay under the radar, but the danger to travelers and others staying in adjoining rooms is very immediate. Hotel/motel owners and managers are well-advised to report any suspicious activity or odors coming from their rooms, as this may be an indication that a meth lab is operating. The BCSO will quarantine any such rooms or houses confirmed to have been used to manufacture meth until a certified environmental specialist certifies the rooms are safe for habitation.

The BCSO’s drug unit, patrol deputies and Criminal Investigations Division working in cooperation with the city, the 10th Judicial DTF and other law enforcement agencies have been very effective in reducing meth operations in Bradley County. Since 2007, meth labs here have been reduced by over 67 percent. Although methamphetamine continues to be a problem, we are constantly working to shut meth labs down as they are discovered. The Tennessee legislature has also done a good job of restricting the purchase of ingredients used to make meth.

Illegal drugs will never entirely be eliminated as long as there is a demand and an unscrupulous criminal element willing to meet that demand, but we will continue meeting the threat head-on. Through the efforts of the men and women of the BCSO partnering with business, community organizations and private citizens, we can be effective in reducing drug and criminal activity here in Bradley County.

(To find out more about the BCSO, visit us online at: www.bradleysheriff.com. You can also write: 2290 Blythe Ave., SE, Cleveland 37311, or email Sheriff Gobble personally: comments@bradleysheriff.com)