Second 'Meth Summit' Set

Community leaders from Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter, Jefferson and Clearfield counties will be brought together once again in November to learn more about detecting and p r e v e n t i n g methamphetamine production.

A daylong "meth summit" will be held on Nov. 9 at the Clarion Inn in Falls Creek. The morning session will be geared toward school o f f i c i a l s ,

emergency

responders and members of the law enforcement community.

Corporal Jim Basinger of the Pa. State Police Clandestine Lab Unit will speak about the history of meth, current and suspected labs, and the demographics of the problem in Pennsylvania.

The afternoon session is open to the public. A panel of professionals will be available to answer questions.

Speakers will include many people with hands-on experience: a trainer from the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol, a sheriff who had two officers killed by a meth producer, responders called in for meth lab clean-up, and a hospital staffer from an area with a high concentration of meth users.

Small business owners will also be addressed in the afternoon session. They'll be warned of the products meth producers are frequently purchasing.

"The magnitude of the meth problem could be devastating," said Andy Lehman of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services. "We want the public to be educated about warning signs that a lab may be operating in their area."

Rural areas with remote properties and small police forces are ideal for those looking to set up meth labs, Lehman noted.

The summit will also focus on prevention, with an emphasis on high school students.

Methamphetamine is a stimulant that comes as pills, powder, or as clear chunky crystals known as ice. Meth is mostly produced in illegal laboratories with household products such as alcohol, battery acid, bleach and hydrogen peroxide, among many others. The process has become so refined it can be produced in the back of a compact car using portable camp stoves.

The drug can be swallowed, snorted, huffed, injected, or smoked. Its long-term effects include addiction psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, repetitive motor activity, stroke and weight loss.

The drug also carries environmental dangers. Chemicals used in meth labs can be highly explosive and produce toxic fume.