State awards grants to fight meth production

SPRINGFIELD — Two local businesses were on the list when Governor Rod Blagojevich last week awarded $535,000 in Anhydrous Ammonia Security Grants to 50 Illinois agrichemical dealers throughout the state. Ag View FS of Princeton received $3,417, and Michlig Agricenter of Manlius received $4,000 as part of funding to help businesses secure their facilities to prevent the theft of anhydrous ammonia, a farm fertilizer and key ingredient used to manufacture methamphetamine. This is the second installment of grants since the governor created the Anhydrous Ammonia Grant Program in August 2006.

“Meth is a highly addictive drug that threatens families and entire communities. This program helps farmers and agrichemical dealers protect anhydrous ammonia – to keep the chemical out of the hands of meth makers,” Blagojevich said in a press release.

The Anhydrous Ammonia Security Grant Initiative is a self-help program. It allows fertilizer dealers to determine their own security needs and then reimburses them for up to two-thirds of the cost of their improvements. Eligible projects include the installation of tamper-proof locks on ammonia tanks, the purchase of lighting and video surveillance equipment and blending of additives that render the fertilizer useless in the production of methamphetamine.

“It’s a growing problem. More and more agrichemical dealers are dealing with the theft of anhydrous ammonia at their facilities. These grants provide businesses with necessary funding to improve security and safety measures, which also will help protect their bottom line,” Agriculture Director Chuck Hartke said.

Meth has become a growing crisis in the State of Illinois with prison admissions rising from only six in fiscal year 1999 to 421 in fiscal year 2004. The current prison population for meth offenders is more than 800 with countless others in prison who are believed to have committed their offense while under the influence of the drug. In 2002, Illinois State Police seized 668 meth labs statewide and made 820 related arrests. By 2006, the number of seizures had grown to 786, and accounted for over 1,100 arrests.