Assembly's meth proposals bring welcome news

As the Borough Assembly continues to grapple with annual fiscal concerns, and issues such as the recently implemented tobacco tax and proposed property-tax cap grab headlines and occupy a prominent and seemingly fixed position on assembly agendas, issues unrelated to the borough's fiscal health can appear less significant.

At Tuesday night's assembly meeting, one such issue was addressed. This one has nothing to do fiscal health, and everything to do with the long-term physical health and well-being of the community and those who call it home. Assembly member Jim Colver introduced a pair of proposals that take direct aim at the manufacturing of methamphetamine, a highly addictive and destructive chemical compound.

Methamphetamine production and abuse has reached nearly epidemic proportions in the Valley in recent years. Mat-Su holds the dubious distinction of being known as the meth capital of Alaska.

There were 37 meth labs busted in the borough in 2004. That's nearly quadruple the number of busts from the previous year. Sadly, it's also more than half of all meth lab busts statewide.

Many of the same reasons that make the Valley such an attractive place to live - lots of privacy, out-of-the-way space and easy access to the state's population base - also make it attractive to meth producers.

Those who think illegal drugs hurt only those who abuse them should think again. The social costs of rehabilitation and lost work time, along with the toll addiction takes on families, are borne directly or indirectly by everyone.

Meth, in particular, is particularly insidious this way because of the biohazards created in production. Homes used to manufacture meth become uninhabitable until they're decontaminated. And for every pound of usable product manufactured, 5 pounds of hazardous chemical waste is created, according to law enforcement officials. Often, this waste is illegally dumped on private property.

It is to the assembly's great credit that this stain on the community is finally being addressed in a meaningful manner. Colver's proposals seek, among other things, limitations on access to over-the-counter cold medications that contain a key meth ingredient - ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. Similar efforts in the state Legislature last session stalled, so it is all the more admirable that a local effort has since been mounted.

An issue such as this is not one that should generate controversy or feet-dragging. Certainly, none of the politics that contributed to the lack of action in Juneau should keep the local proposals from moving forward in a timely fashion.

This is government at work for the good of the governed. Let's keep the ball rolling.