People convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine in Tennessee are being listed by the state on a public online registry, the Boston Globe reported Feb. 20.

The list created by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) allows visitors to search the database by name and county; about 200 people have been listed since the registry was created in December. "The purpose was to get these names out there so that members of the public can see who these people are who have been arrested for meth manufacturing," said TBI spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson.

But Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, said the list stigmatizes former offenders and violates privacy rights, and some drug rehabilitation leaders agreed. "We're making it virtually impossible for them to escape their previous life of crime, and live in neighborhoods without being ... permanently identified as meth cooks," Weinberg said.

Oklahoma and Washington are reportedly considering establishing similar registries. Supporters of the registry include Judge Seth Norman, head of Nashville's drug court.