"Joe Mazzuca, chief executive of operations for Meth Lab Cleanup LLC, said his business has been growing 30 percent annually in recent years. ‘‘We consider it to be still in its infancy,’’ said Mazzuca, a leader in the meth cleanup industry. Many independent contractors, such as Don Horne, do meth cleanup as a second job to make extra money. Horne is a law enforcement officer in a small Arkansas town."
Now you know another rea$on among many as to why the meth, cocaine, and heroin is plentiful and the problem never goes away.
"Meth lab cleanup is a growing industry" by Adrian Sainz | Associated Press, December 28, 2013
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A tall man and a slender woman wiggled into their white hazardous materials suits, putting on protective masks and gloves before venturing into the dark, two-story home where police say a methamphetamine lab recently exploded.
Gary Siebenschuh and a helper used a yellow photo ionization detector to measure for meth residue, maneuvering around debris and a hole in the roof caused by the Nov. 6 fire that injured a young child. They took wipe samples of walls, ducts, window sills, and other parts of the home, later sending them to a lab to be analyzed.
‘‘The process is extremely cumbersome, but I think it’s necessary,’’ said Dick Cochran, owner of the Memphis home where a renter was charged with making meth and causing the fire and explosion. Cochran hired Siebenschuh to inspect the property.
‘‘You don’t know how bad a house can be contaminated,’’ Cochran said.
Tens of thousands of houses have been used as meth labs in the last decade, and a cottage industry is developing around cleaning them up. Many Americans are more aware of the production of the highly addictive drug thanks to AMC’s hit show ‘‘Breaking Bad,’’ which featured a high school chemistry teacher who turned into a meth cooker and dealer. In real life, cleanup contractors are the ones who deal with a property when a batch explodes or police raid an operation and shut it down.
However, there is little oversight of the growing industry in most states, opening the door for potential malfeasance.
Cochran expects to spend thousands to make the house rentable once again, with much of the cost covered by his insurance company. However, that is not the norm; many insurance policies do not cover meth cleanup.
To make a meth home safe, a certified contractor must remove and replace all contaminated materials, from walls to carpet to air conditioning vents. Next, a certified ‘‘industrial hygienist’’ tests the home to gauge whether it can be lived in or needs more cleaning.
Hygienists and contractors find homes in different states of disrepair. Homes with no fires or explosions are easier to clean, but there is often a pungent odor, contaminated cooktops, carpets, and walls, leaky roofs, and dirty furniture. In the case of Cochran’s home, Siebenschuh had to maneuver around scattered debris and a burned-out shell of a second floor and attic.
‘‘You do testing in the front end, so we can find out how much meth is there,’’ said Siebenschuh, whose company, G7 Environmental Services, also does testing for asbestos, mold, and other contaminates. ‘‘Then the homeowner hires a contractor, and then he cleans it up.’’
Despite laws requiring landlords to disclose if meth had been made on a property, experts say such disclosures often do not occur and there are many people living in contaminated homes nationwide.
Exposure to meth residue can cause respiratory problems, and health officials say meth homes pose a threat to public safety. For example, squatters may enter abandoned homes, and children play around them.
During the last decade, tens of thousands of homes have been used to cook meth, according to federal data. About 25 states have laws related to meth cleanup. Some states, such as Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, place meth homes on quarantine lists. Some properties on Tennessee’s list date to 2006, underscoring the years it often takes for some properties to be cleaned. Cleanup costs can range from $3,000 to $25,000.
Joe Mazzuca, chief executive of operations for Meth Lab Cleanup LLC, said his business has been growing 30 percent annually in recent years. ‘‘We consider it to be still in its infancy,’’ said Mazzuca, a leader in the meth cleanup industry.
Many independent contractors, such as Don Horne, do meth cleanup as a second job to make extra money. Horne is a law enforcement officer in a small Arkansas town. He says in many areas contaminated homes have become ‘‘a huge problem.’’
‘‘You’re helping the community by going in and cleaning up the properties, putting them back on the market to sell or to rent,’’ said Horne, who is certified to clean meth labs in Arkansas and Tennessee.
Yeah, whose benefiting when it comes to the cea$ele$$ and $en$le$$ drug war?
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But when it comes to medical marijuana the government has its shorts in a bunch! God forbid suffering people should obtain relief from somewhere other than a prescription pharmaceutical.
"Denver gives businesses first batch of licenses to sell recreational marijuana" by Kristen Wyatt | Associated Press, December 28, 2013
DENVER — The first batch of Denver businesses approved to sell recreational marijuana got their licenses Friday, the owners mugging for pictures and saying they never thought they’d see the day when they’d get a permit to sell pot.
Applause broke out and cameras whirred when the first license was issued from the city’s Department of Excise and Licenses. The city awarded eight licenses for retail shops, 30 licenses for pot growers, and four licenses for makers of cannabis-infused products such as pot brownies.
One businessman joked about getting arrested for having a joint at a 1971 Black Sabbath concert.
:-)
Remember smoking the weed and getting paranoid about war pigs.
Others shared hugs and stories about marijuana’s route to legalization.
‘‘I think it’s about time that adults can imbibe in marijuana,’’ said Donald Andrews of one of the eight shops, LoDo Wellness Center in downtown Denver.
The licensed sellers went through a state and local licensing process that included public hearings to ask neighbors about shop locations. Owners also underwent more than a dozen fire and building inspections for each shop.
‘‘It’s been a grueling process but we’re finally here,’’ said Justin Jones, owner of Dank Colorado, a retail shop.
Recreational pot for adults over 21 has been legal in Colorado for more than a year, but retail sales of the drug aren’t allowed until 8 a.m. on Jan. 1. Washington state, the only other state to allow recreational pot use by adults, plans to have stores open by late spring of next year....
You gonna stop talking and light that or what?
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I know I forgot to do something with these articles but I can't remember what.
