One of the greatest challenges that we face today is the rapid spread of methamphetamine through our rural communities, especially in southern and central Illinois. Meth has hit rural communities like a tornado — tearing families apart, endangering children, wreaking havoc on the environment, and overwhelming social service providers and law enforcement authorities alike.

All too often our farmers find themselves in the eye of the storm as meth makers steal their anhydrous ammonia (a key ingredient in the most common meth "recipe"), tampering with and even rupturing their anhydrous tanks in the process.

While there is no magic solution to the meth problem, there are many steps that we can take together to help stem the tide of meth manufacture and abuse. This past legislative session, my office drafted two pieces of legislation that were passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Blagojevich.

The first measure doubles the potential penalty faced by meth manufacturers who endanger children, sending meth makers a clear message that mixing meth and kids is a recipe for disaster. The second requires that meth manufacturers reimburse the government for the cost of securing and cleaning up drug labs.

Because meth makers need large quantities of cold medications containing ephedrine or pseudo-ephedrine to produce the drug, retailers have an important role to play in slowing the spread of meth. That is why my office is working with law enforcement authorities and retailers to fashion an agreement limiting large sales of cold medications and training retail personnel to recognize and report suspicious purchases to local law enforcement authorities.

Now we are taking the next step - developing information and resources to help local communities fight the meth epidemic from the ground up.

For example, my office is working closely with agricultural leaders, farm supply stores, and law enforcement authorities to make it more difficult for meth makers to steal anhydrous ammonia. Among other precautions, we urge farmers to:

• Deliver nurse tanks to fields immediately before fertilizing and return the tanks immediately after;

• Park nurse tanks close to your house, next to a public road, or in some other highly visible location;

• Inspect tanks at least once a day for signs of theft or tampering, keeping in mind that anhydrous thefts typically occur at night or over the weekend;

• Use brightly colored plastic ties or wire seals on tank valves to help determine whether tampering has occurred;

• Remove hoses and store them away from tanks, bearing in mind that there may be enough anhydrous ammonia in a standard decoupling hose to manufacture meth;

• Report any theft or tampering of propane tanks, which meth makers use to store anhydrous ammonia, and be aware that bluish or greenish colors on tank nozzles or other fittings may indicate that a tank has been used to transport anhydrous ammonia; and

• Work with your local law enforcement authorities to enhance the security of your anhydrous tanks, encouraging them to increase nighttime and weekend patrols in your area.

Finally, attorneys in my office are always ready to step in and help prosecute meth cases when asked to do so by local state's attorneys. My office also helped create a handbook on how to prosecute meth cases effectively.

By working together, we can target this epidemic on all fronts. I hope that you will join me, my colleagues in law enforcement, and other organizations and individuals as we combine forces to fight the spread of meth.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan as a state senator worked to make communities safe from drugs and gang violence, and was a leading legislative expert on education. The opinions and views of guest commentators are their own and may not represent those of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives or the electric co-ops of Illinois.

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