WSMV Channel 4 Numbers suggest TN fight on meth works but long way to go

Numbers suggest TN fight on meth works but long way to go

For once, there is good news in the fight against meth in Tennessee. A new plan to keep the key ingredient out of the wrong hands appears to be working.

The new system is just about a month old, but despite the progress, there is also caution.

Lawmakers agree the issue of methamphetamine involves much more than the drug itself.

"Families have been destroyed by meth. People have been killed," said State Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville. "Meth use and abuse is the third-most prominent reason why a child comes into state custody. And the cost to care for those children is astronomical."

Last year, lawmakers approved a new drug registry, which tracks every purchase of medicine containing pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in meth.

It allows pharmacists to keep customers from buying too much, and it helps police know who they are.

"It's helping them do it in real-time. It's helping them track these people down and get to the root of the problem," said State Rep. Debra Maggart, R-Sumner County.

And lawmakers have released new numbers suggesting it is working.

In January, the registry stopped the sale of 5,000 boxes of drugs containing pseudoephedrine.

That amounts to 13,000 grams.

"So far, so good," Hawk said.

"Well, I think our General Assembly has been committed to solving this problem, because in different parts of the state, it really ravages our communities," Maggart said.

But a different set of numbers suggest a long road is still ahead.

In January, the state's meth task force busted 153 meth labs. It's a big improvement over 2011, but it is near 2010's number.

So far this month, the state has busted 43 meth labs, and it projects the final tally to be around 140.

That again puts the state closer to the number from two years ago, and it's a long way to go for some.

"You solve the kids that are in foster care problem. You solve the burden that it places on our jails and our prison system," Maggart said.

Part of the problem is access. Would-be meth makers could find those drugs online.

Also, not every state bordering Tennessee has the same law as we do, making it sometimes as easy as a trip across the state line.

The new law had an impact on pharmacies, too.

Some are still waiting to sign up for the registry, and for now have stopped selling that type of medicine.

Others got out of that kind of business altogether, figuring the registry isn't worth the hassle.

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