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AG Helps Fund Local Anti-Meth Efforts
PRESS RELEASE
July 7, 2005
Columbia, S.C. July 7, 2005 - Attorney General Henry McMaster anounced today that the S.C. Meth Watch Program will award six (6)
organizations with mini-grants targeted to provide funding to local communities throughout South Carolina to assist with the implementation of
methamphetamine initiatives. Over $4,000 dollars in assistance will be awarded to the applicant agencies.
The money is part of a $100,000 grant to the Attorney General's Office from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) to establish
the S.C. Meth Watch Program.
"Meth is the kudzu of illegal drugs, it's spreading at a fast pace and it's everywhere. " McMaster said. "The success of the Meth Watch program depends on local involvement -- that's why distributing these funds is
so important."
Recipients of the mini-grants to date are:
Anderson/Oconee Regional Forensics Laboratory: $800.00
Axis I Center of Barnwell: $1,000.00
Cornerstone (of Greenwood-Edgefield-McCormick-Abbeville): $500.00
Dorchester County Sheriff's Office: $1,000.00
Greenville Family Partnership: $250.00
LRADAC: $500.00
Mini-grant funding eligibility requirements:
· Must be an organization located in the State of South Carolina and be affiliated with a local unit of government, 501©(3), or school.
· A representative of the applicant agency must have attended at least one (1) of the SC Meth Watch training seminars provided by the S.C. Meth Watch Program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
· Must demonstrate collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General and CHPA.
Funds may be used for but are not limited to the following: tamper tags for anhydrous ammonia tanks, materials/ingredients for a mock meth lab used for community awareness presentations, printed materials such as brochures and fliers, travel for the purposes of providing meth education, area maps to
document lab closures, and other supplies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sponsored and operated by the Attorney General's office, S.C. Meth Watch is a voluntary education, training and public visibility program involving law enforcement and retailers designed to deter the theft or illegal purchase of common household products used in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine. The Greenville based Bi-Lo grocery store chain was the first retailer to join the S.C. Meth Watch program and has ordered training videos and materials for all of its 132 South Carolina stores. Dollar General has also joined the effort, ordering supplies and materials for its 235 stores in the state.
Training videos and materials have been provided to participating retailers, and they have been trained in seminars conducted by the Attorney General's Office. Store items commonly used in the manufacture of meth are identified and marked with shelf tags, indicating that they are monitored merchandise. Employees are trained by management to recognize common characteristics of Meth abusers and the combinations of items they are likely to purchase or attempt to steal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also part of the S.C. Meth Watch program, law enforcement officials around the state have also been trained in the S.C. Meth Watch program's series of seminars to expect calls from retailers that may contain valuable information that could lead to arrests.
McMaster is currently pushing legislation in the General Assembly requiring all medicines containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine as the sole active
ingredient (which are commonly used as the main ingredient in Meth) to be placed behind store counters to better control their sale and to prevent
theft. The legislation, which compliments the S.C. Meth Watch program's efforts, also adds several new criminal penalties related to the possession of and byproducts from the manufacture of meth. The bill, H.3591, is sponsored by Representative Joan Brady of Columbia and has been approved by the House. It is currently pending in the Senate.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More Information Online:
www.scattorneygeneral.com
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=rw4zambab.0.j6xvakbab.fmrqqibab.47&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scattorneygeneral.com)
www.scmethwatch.com
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=rw4zambab.0.7mh9ambab.fmrqqibab.47&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scmethwatch.com)
www.methwatch.com
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=rw4zambab.0.6mh9ambab.fmrqqibab.47&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.methwatch.com)
www.scstatehouse.net
(http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=rw4zambab.0.5mh9ambab.fmrqqibab.47&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scstatehouse.net)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact: Mark Plowden
Deputy Communications Director
803-734-3670
[email protected]
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