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| 17 January 2002 - The San Diego Union-Tribune Web site takes tips on drug labs County creates program for reports and to help addicts By Mark Arner Five years after launching a telephone hotline to report illegal drug labs, county officials have created a similar program on the Internet. County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, county Health Director Roger Lum and Undersheriff Jack Drown announced details of the new crime-fighting tool Monday. Officials say the Web site could get plenty of use. Last week, authorities nationwide arrested 100 people and seized tons of cold capsules they say could have been used to manufacture 50,000 pounds of methamphetamine, also known as speed, crank or crystal. Thirteen of those arrested were from San Diego, officials said. Residents concerned about possible methamphetamine labs or dump sites can log on to www.no2meth.org. People can still call the hotline at 1-877-No2Meth, Jacob said. Lum said the site offers more than just a vehicle for tipsters. It offers advice and resources for addicts looking for treatment. "Let me assure you that anyone who is in need of help for alcohol or drug problems will get help," Lum said. The site includes a quote from an addict from Pacific Beach: "It's like selling your soul to the devil," the user says. "When I was high, I felt alive for the first time in my life. While I was using, I thought nothing could touch me. I was beautiful and perfect in my meth world. In the real world, my body was rotting from the inside out." The Web site describes the drug's side effects, points out risks to those who use meth or anyone near meth labs, and tells how residue from the drug's production can contaminate the environment. In the past five years, the county's hotline logged more than 2,900 calls, officials said, resulting in 1,600 referrals to law enforcement, 121 arrests and the seizure of two drug labs. |
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