More than 40 people involved in real estate in southeast Wyoming have received a quick education on methamphetamine labs and how they’re affecting their industry.
What they learned recently is that there are no laws in the state that make it mandatory for a property owner to clean a former meth lab site or disclose that there may be toxic contamination before renting or selling it to someone.
Former meth lab sites can expose people to residue from a number of toxic materials used to make the highly addictive drug. In states such as Kansas and Oregon, the information goes on the deed, as do details about remediation.
“We need something like this,” said Al Bennett, special agent with the Division of Criminal Investigation in Wyoming, who led the class.
Bennett also spoke at Wyoming Association of Realtors seminars in Casper and Gillette earlier this month, and another talk will be held in Rock Springs later this month. The classes are an opportunity for people in the industry to get continuing-education credit and learn how to identify a lab or the remains of one.
Labs aren’t the state’s biggest problem when it comes to meth. As of May 17, only nine labs have been seized in Wyoming this year, Bennett said. But that’s probably only 10 percent of the labs out there, based on the numbers of pseudoephedrine-based cold pills distributors are selling here.
Pseudoephedrine is a key ingredient in the cooking of meth.
Susan Jaure of No. 1 Properties said she was taking the class because she didn’t know too much about methamphetamine labs here. But she does know that it’s an issue affecting her industry.
Others in attendance said they were surprised the state doesn’t have laws concerning site cleanups.
Right now, when a meth lab is discovered, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration pays for the cleanup of hazardous materials through a grant program. A sign also is posted at the site, warning people not to enter until a proper cleaning has occurred and providing a phone number for the Wyoming Department of Health.
But the sign can easily be removed, and the Hazmat crew DEA contracts with is not responsible for cleaning or removing furniture or carpeting, which chemicals can seep into during the making of the drug.
Some at the class asked whether law enforcement officials could share the locations of meth labs that have been seized, but Bennett wasn’t sure if that was a violation of federal law.
Among the tips shared, Bennett said people should watch out for tenants with sores all over their bodies, a sign of a user. He suggested that they be on alert for the smell of ammonia, an ingredient used in the cooking process. If a few shots of spray starch on the wall turn blue or purple, it’s a sign that iodine has been used to make meth there.
Bennett also urged those present to get in touch with legislators about creating laws to deal with the situation.
“If everybody gets on board now, we can get some laws into place everybody can work with,” he said.
