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New laws helps region battle meth

By Tara Fasol, The Southern

Monday, February 18, 2008 11:05 AM CST

Several years ago, law enforcement officials called the increase in methamphetamine production and use an epidemic in Southern Illinois.

In recent years, new laws, stronger police presence and a more educated public have contributed to what local officials call a significant step forward in the war against meth.

"It has gotten better and that is because of the new laws on how many boxes of pseudoephedrine you can buy," said Master Sgt. Myron Pansing with the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force, operated out of Illinois State Police District 13 in Du Quoin.

Not only has the production of meth decreased locally, but Pansing said the seizure of meth and meth-making materials also has declined in Southern Illinois and statewide.

"I think we now have the laws in place that make production harder," Pansing said.

At District 13, two teams of narcotics officers make up methamphetamine task forces, which are specifically geared to attack the meth problem through education and enforcement.

More than a dozen officers are appointed to work primarily with the meth team, said Pansing, who noted that the team addresses the meth problem across the southern portion of the state.

The Illinois Meth Project - a state-implemented survey for 2007 - asked 912 junior and senior high school students ages 12 to 17 in the Springfield, Decatur and Champaign areas about their subjection to methamphetamine.

According to survey results, nearly one in four teens said it would be "very" or "somewhat easy" for them to acquire meth.

The survey suggests that, with 22 percent of teens making that statement, meth is easier for them to acquire than heroin, cocaine or marijuana.

One in 10 of the teens surveyed said they have been offered to use or approached about purchasing methamphetamine.

The report states the survey was created to "significantly reduce meth in Illinois through research-based campaign messages and increased community outreach."

tara.fasol@thesouthern.com / 351-5824

DETAILS

The Methamphetamine Control and Community Protection Act took effect on Sept. 11, 2005, and aimed to consolidate laws dealing with the production, distribution and use of meth in Illinois, according to information online and provided by the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

The Methamphetamine Precursor Act was signed into law on Nov. 16, 2005, and took effect on Jan. 15, 2006.

The law tightened controls on the display, purchase and sale of a key methamphetamine-making material, pseudoephedrine.