Community Meth Summit Addresses Tulsa’s Meth Crisis

Mayor Kathy Taylor brought together agencies, public safety officers and social services last night for a Community Meth Summit to begin a dialogue to address the growing meth problem. In the last three months, fires resulting from small meth production labs in apartment complexes have claimed three lives, including the lives of nearby residents, caused more than $700,000 in property damage and endangered the lives of children living in the home and near the household meth labs. Tulsa Police responded to 56 meth labs in the first three months of 2009, compared with 42 lab responses in all of 2008.

Methamphetamine (Meth) is an addictive stimulant that strongly impacts the nervous system and creates a heightened sense of pleasure or euphoria.

“The increase we’ve seen is epidemic,” Mayor Taylor said. “If this was a disease, we’d be looking for a vaccine. It is harmful to children in the homes involved and the fires are tragically taking the lives of people who live nearby and are not a part of the production. There are no easy answers to eliminate these small meth labs, so we have to focus on education and prevention.”

At the Mayor’s summit, Panelists Sergeant Wendell Franklin of the Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Chief Deputy George Harleson, Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris and Chief Drug Prosecutor Tony Evans, and Tulsa County Health Department Manager Connie Lowe, provided education on current trends in production of the drug. The increase in meth is seen in small “shake and bake” labs where the meth producer uses a smaller amount of chemical mixed in a 2-liter pop bottle or similar container. Because a smaller amount is produced at once, the toxic smell is generally confined to the room where the meth is made, which makes it harder for a neighbor to detect. The pressure from the bottle is released as the meth is “cooking”, and gases escape into the air, creating an extremely dangerous environment. The bottle can explode or spontaneously catch on fire as the chemicals mix.

Police said residents who see pop bottles with a powder or crystal-like residue discarded in a public area, such as a street or creek channel, should not dispose of the substances themselves, but should call 911 so a Hazardous Materials team can respond. If a meth lab is suspected in a home, residents should call CrimeStoppers at 596-COPS to initiate an investigation. Meth users, family members or friends who are trying to help someone who is addicted to meth may call 2-1-1 for treatment referrals.

Many agencies in the Tulsa area can provide help with educational programs to schools, churches or other groups. Connie Lowe of the Tulsa County Health Department (TCHD) said several members of the TCHD have been trained to provide this education program. More information on this national education program is available online.