by Rolly Church

You don’t smoke, drink or chew and you don’t go out with girls who do. And you think your safe because you don’t know anyone who uses meth. . .not yet.

Meth does a lot of damage to users as these pictures will attest. You might even think that they get what they deserve. If you think a little harder, you might pray that you don’t get what you deserve. These users need Jesus as much as you and I do.

From a physical or tangible standpoint meth users do much damage to the philosophy that spouts the need to legalize drugs. Meth users make quite an impact on our culture. You do not need to be involved to feel its effects.

Meth labs leave toxic wastes. Solvents and other toxic byproducts used to produce meth pose long-term hazards because they can persist in the soil and groundwater for years. Some users make their own meth in secret labs located in rental units, wooded areas or little-used roads in outstate Nebraska. They never clean their mess. Exposure to the potent chemicals used in the making of meth can enter the central nervous system by touching or breathing and cause neural damage, effect kidneys, and burn or irritate the skin, eyes and nose.

Just imagine going for a hike and finding yourself and your children ill for some unknown reason. Are you becoming interested in the "meth mess" within which we are finding ourselves?

Michael Heald, of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), said, "A person producing a relatively small amount [of meth] can shut the entire county down for up to 24 hours."

The law enforcement agencies are called first, then firefighters are needed because of the explosions commonly caused by meth production. Responders have to be trained to protect themselves from the harmful chemicals. If children are present, child protective services is notified.

Only 330 meth labs were seized in this country in 1995 compared to about 18,000 in 2004.

The DEA manages a $20 million program that pays for the initial site clean up, evidence gathering and chemical removal. The remainder of the site clean up costs – ranging from $3,000 to $8,000 each – fall to counties and sometimes the property owners of the lab sites.

Are you concerned about meth now?