Meth is Out of Control

 "We're number one! We're number one!"
We imagine that many of you remember chanting this during your high school years, cheering on the hometown team with the notion that your city or county was superior in every way to others.

Unfortunately, Franklin County is number one in an area that we should be ashamed of.
That's because according to figures maintained by the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Franklin County is now considered the top producer of the illegal drug methamphetamine in the state of Tennessee.
Figures show that as of the middle of last week, 52 labs have been found in rural Franklin County.
Also, Winchester police officials states that they have confiscated 32 so far this year.
But this is no surprise to anyone who reads this paper on a regular basis. Arrests involve homemade labs occur so often in this county that many have become accustomed to seeing the words "meth" in nearly any recent edition of this publication.
Considering 1,154 clandestine meth labs were found statewide in fiscal 2003 compared to 235 in fiscal 2000, it's obvious this problem is growing.
This is a plague that affects not only the people who become addicted to it, but also their children, who often are placed in state custody because meth users can no longer care for them.
All meth makers need is a house, apartment, out-of-the-way trailer or shed and ingredients such as cold pills containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, rubbing alcohol, drain cleaner and matches.
With a concoction made of those substances, it is little wonder people who use it are on the fast track to a grave, jails or hospitals.
State Representative Judd Matheny says meth use is spreading like wild fire in southern middle Tennessee and he's already working on tough new legislation aimed at cracking down on makers and users.
Matheny, a Tullahoma Republican, says he is working to raise criminal penalties for meth makers and users to a tougher Class D felony offense that would fetch longer jail terms and higher fines.
He also wants legislation that would limit the wholesale and retail sales of common household and over-the-counter medications used to make the drug. His proposed bill would require a photo i.d., signature, and statement of use from anyone buying large amounts of cold medications, rubbing alcohol or machines.
Raising the penalties against the makers of the drug would be a great idea...and it's one that we have discussed before.
Too often, the amount of bond that is set for suspects charged with making meth in this county is far too low. The ones who get nabbed are often out of jail in less than 24 hours and go right back and start making the drug again.
However, some people who have been arrested multiple times for making meth now have to face federal prosecution.
It's a much different game in this ballpark. Instead of forking over a few hundred dollars to the bondsman and going home after only several hours in the county lock up, these folks are looking at serious fines and long prison terms.
If strong penalties were handed out to begin with, perhaps those first time users and makers of the drug would find a reason to stop before they end up spending a long part of their lives behind bars...or a brief stay at the funeral home.