What is that bad smell in your motel room? It could be a Meth lab!

Some time ago, Justin wrote about meth makers using the coffee machine in hotel rooms to brew their concoctions. It’s now 2 years later, and the problem seems to be going from bad to worse.

Meth makers are increasingly using motel rooms for their “cooking”, often checking in late at night, and leaving the place behind by morning.

Of course, since these criminals are not the most ethical people around, they are not putting too much effort into cleaning up their mess of toxic chemicals. The problem is so widespread, that there are companies that do nothing but clean up whatever stench is left behind.

Some meth makers try to mask the odor with cat litter, others use absorbent materials left between the mattress and box spring. If the mess is too serious, a cleanup may involve replacing all the furniture and other items in the room, along with a $20,000 cleanup job.

So, the lesson to be learned here is to always be on the lookout for strange odors and stains in your room, if you suspect something isn’t right, get out of the room and notify the front desk.

It’s bad enough when you run into a dark and depressing room, but it’s a totally different situation when the bad smell in the room could actually kill you. Oh, and if any meth makers are reading this – thanks for making it so damn hard to buy the good Nyquil this winter.

(Via: Chicago Sun Times)

CNN reporter and business travel expert gets caught with meth in Central Park

When we were in Montana two summers ago, I noticed anti-meth billboards everywhere. The billboards were part of a media blitz to get teens and adults to not start this dreadful drug habit that rots teeth, creates pock marks and wastes away ones body and mind. For people hooked on methamphetamine, the aim was to get them unhooked. In the small town in Montana where we go each year, I have known people who showed the signs of being addicts, and it wasn’t pretty.

According to this Billings Gazette news story from last September, the media blitz has worked and meth use is down more than 50% in Montana. With the news stories about the hazards of meth use that have appeared, it always surprises me to find out when prominent people with much to lose dabble in the stuff. Such is the case with Richard Quest, a CNN International reporter.

Quest, who hosts “Business Traveler” and another program called “Quest,” was in New York City’s Central Park at 3:40 a.m. this morning and was arrested, according to this New York Times tidbit. You aren’t supposed to be in Central Park after 1 a.m. or before 6 a.m. That’s one no-no. The other no-no involves the Ziploc bag with meth in it that Quest had in his pocket. These two missteps have him facing drug charges. He did say the meth was in his pocket before the police found it.

Since methamphetamine is not particularly helpful in the long run for travelers–it may keep you feeling peppy for awhile, but can lead to memory loss and a myriad of other woes, I wonder what Quest was thinking. Not to mention that having a drug record gets in the way of travel to the United States. Quest is British. Look at Amy Winehouse who couldn’t attend the Grammy Awards.

Either life as a prominent CNN reporter is not as terrific as it looks and makes chilling out difficult, or it helps one lose track of common sense. Or, I have no idea. And one more thing. What was Quest thinking when he headed into Central Park in the wee hours of the morning? That’s nuts. Doesn’t he pay attention to the news?