Illinois, Indiana Attorney Generals come together to combat drugs
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and a contingent of law enforcement and state representatives met on Tuesday in downtown Evansville, Ind., to discuss the production, usage and sales of methamphetamine and synthetic drugs in the two states, and how the states could work together better to combat the problem.
According to information from the Illinois and Indiana State Police, the meth lab seizure numbers have increased from 2010 to 2011. Illinois had 457 meth lab seizures in 2010, and the number went up to 573 in 2011. Indiana seized 1,395 labs in 2010 and 1,437 in 2011.
Madigan said that the drug was a tough one to fight because of the availability of the products used to produce it. Zoeller added that there would have to be new approaches taken to fight the problem, and making pseudoephedrine a prescription drug was not off the table. Zoeller did say that the prescription proposal does present the problem of pushing the sale into neighboring states and that it is important not to pass Illinois and Indiana's problem into other states.
Zoeller also said that the two states share a border, and more work together was necessary.
"We have our own jurisdictions and often we focus only on our own city, county or state. But these problems don't live within a geographical location, so we really have to focus on cross-border relations," said Zoeller.
"Drugs do not know a border," said Madigan. "When you have meth addicts, they are going to travel wherever needed to get the product they need to produce the drug. We have seen this in the Southern Illinois and Southern Indiana regions."
The synthetic drug problem was also discussed at the conference. Synthetics include cannabinoids such as K2 or Spice, which mimic the effects of marijuana, and cathinones, known as "bath salts," which can replicate the effects of cocaine or meth.
Zoeller and Madigan said that the problem was when a law is passed, the manufacturer alters the chemical compound to keep the product legal. One way the states may attack the problem is by putting legal pressure on the retailers who sell the product.
"This inter-state summit underscores our shared concern for the growing use and manufacturing of methamphetamine and synthetic drugs," said Zoeller. "While our law enforcement community and state Legislature have employed some measures to crackdown on these crimes, very real problems still exist. Our hope is to explore targeted solutions and use the resources available to suppress this criminal activity."
"The fight against meth and synthetic drugs is a challenge shared across state borders," Madigan said. "These dangerous drugs present unique difficulties that require collaborative approaches. It's critical that we forge partnerships to enable law enforcement to adapt its response and better protect our communities' health and safety."
In attendance at the roundtable from Illinois were Mike Wahl, medical director for the Illinois Poison Control Center, Gallatin County Sheriff Shannon Bradley, Jackson County Sheriff Robert Burns, Union County Sheriff David Livesay, Williamson County Sheriff Bennie Vick and representatives of the Illinois State Police Meth Control Unit.