GREC REnews, Vol. 3, Issue 5 (May 2007)

Georgia Real Estate Commission
GREC RENEWS

Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2007

2007 Dates to Note
May 22, 2007 Trust Account Workshop Fayette County Board (770) 461-2401
June 19, 2007 Trust Account Workshop Middle Georgia Association (478) 471-7336
July 12, 2007 Trust Account Workshop Atlanta Commercial Board (404) 250-0051
August 2-3, 2007 Georgia Instructor Training Workshop (GIT) Atlanta, GA
GREC Disciplinary Sanctions

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Meth Houses

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Disturbing Data

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Focus on Terminology:
"Methamphetamine"
Georgia Real Estate Commission Suite 1000, International Tower 229 Peachtree Street N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303-1605

"Meth Houses" - What the Real
Estate Licensee Needs to Know
Startling as it is, methamphetamine (also known as meth) houses exist all over Georgia. Meth labs are residences that are used to create, inexpensive, clandestine, and illegal labs. Meth houses have been discovered in neighborhoods anywhere on the scale from highly wealthy, well established subdivisions to areas that are economically stressed. Meth houses may also be single or multi-family, owner or renter occupied.
Methamphetamine is created using commonplace items, such as cold pills, anhydrous ammonia, metal, red phosphorus, and iodine and certain chemicals in fertilizers and household products, such as Drano. There are many different meth "recipes." "For every pound of methamphetamine produced, about six pounds of toxic waste are left behind."
This waste is absorbed into the walls and structure of the house. Meth houses sometimes are torn down to rid the property of methamphetamine contamination. Since waste from its production can damage solid building materials, it is not difficult to imagine what they can do to the human body.
The real estate licensee needs to be aware of several issues concerning these houses and other properties where methamphetamine production has taken place: Georgia is one of a few states that specifically require real estate agents to
disclose if the property was the site of a meth lab. Some states make the offender liable for cleanup costs. The Methamphetamine Menace The licensee can provide information to the buyer or seller regarding methamphetamine contamination. Some websites with information include:
http://www.methresources.gov http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/methamphetamine.html http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/georgia.html
If your buyer is looking at a house with potential contamination, advise him/her to seek expert advice from an environmental specialist, an attorney, and an insurance agent.
The future of meth production may be limited due to restrictions on purchasing some key ingredients. For example, most states already have legislation that limits the sales of cold tablets that contain ingredients used to produce methamphetamine.
State legislation has been proposed to require a meth-maker registry.
Unfortunately, the existence of meth houses is an issue real estate licensees need to be aware of and be prepared with a plan to disclose and deal with them.
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Georgia Real Estate Commission
Suite 1000, International Tower 229 Peachtree Street N.E. Atlanta, GA 30303-1605
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Disturbing Data...

Volume 3, Issue 5 May 2007

"NIDA's (National Institute on Drug Abuse) Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), an early warning network of researchers that provides information about the nature and patterns of drug abuse in 21 major areas of the U.S., reported in January 2006 that methamphetamine continues to be a problem in the West, ... and that it continues to spread to other areas of the country,.... In fact, methamphetamine was reported to be the fastest growing problem in metropolitan Atlanta." http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) report for Georgia states: "Methamphetamine continued a four-year trend as metro Atlanta's fastest growing drug problem. This trend is particularly true in the Atlanta, Dalton, and Gainesville metropolitan areas. Since 2002, most of the significant methamphetamine seizures recorded in the state were from stash/distribution site raids or state/local interdiction stops. There has also been an increase in the availability of ICE in the Atlanta metropolitan area. However, methamphetamine clandestine laboratories located within the state have declined since legislation was enacted in 2005 to restrict the sale of over-the-counter products containing pseudoephedrine: It is one of the essential chemicals used in the production of methamphetamine.February 2007 http://www.dea.gov/pubs/states/georgia.html
For every pound of methamphetamine produced, about six pounds of toxic waste are left behind. After law enforcement officials seize a lab, the average cost of cleanup is about $5,000, but it can climb to as much as $150,000 for large-scale labs." The Methamphetamine Menace
"The DEA reported seizures of 16,813 methamphetamine laboratories in 2005, up from 9,747 in 2004. There are no federal regulations for cleaning up meth labs, and unknown numbers of families unwittingly move into houses where meth was concocted, state health officials said." http://www.stateline.org/live/states/Georgia

Focus on Terminology: "Methamphetamine"
Methamphetamine (meth) is an addictive stimulant drug that strongly activates certain systems in the brain. Methamphetamine is closely related chemically to amphetamine, but the central nervous system effects of methamphetamine are greater. It can cause stroke, paranoia, anxiety, delusions and violent behavior, as well as damage to blood vessels and skin abscesses in those who inject the drug, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
(http://www.methrehab.com/methinfo.htm )
Methamphetamine (meth) is referred to by many names, such as speed, crank, ice, crystal, glass and chalk.
"Methamphetamine can be injected, snorted, smoked or swallowed and can cost between $350 and $2,200 per ounce, according to ONDCP. A powerful stimulant, meth produces an intense high and can cause heart problems, increased blood pressure, hypothermia, convulsions and even death." Office of National Drug Control Policy ONDCP http://www.stateline.org )
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