Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 Source: Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (SD) Copyright: 2000 Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan Contact: http://www.yankton.net Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1046 Author: Steven Barrett EDUCATION PROGRAM ABOUT DRUG TO EXPAND TO UP TO 10 MORE CITIES IN STATE SIOUX FALLS -- A program that backers say has boosted awareness in Lincoln and Minnehaha counties of the dangers of methamphetamine will use federal money to expand to six to 10 more communities. The Department of Justice will provide $600,000 for the Meth Awareness and Prevention Project in the state, U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., local law enforcement officers and a drug abuse prevention specialist announced in a news conference Monday. "This is a life and death issue for parents," Minnehaha County Sheriff Mike Milstead said. "It's a deadly substance." The goal over the year of the funding is to create a network of specialists to educate people about the addictive drug, its effects, and how to know if it is being produced in their areas -- and to prevent the use and manufacture of meth, said Darcy Jensen of Prairie View Prevention Services in Sioux Falls. She said she hopes the successes in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties can be replicated elsewhere. The Sioux Falls-area program has been funded in large part through donations from area foundations, Jensen said, but some remote parts of the state need the federal money to make it work there. "When you're someplace like Lemmon, S.D., ... they don't have the same resources we do," she said. Drug abuse agencies and county sheriff's departments have been sent surveys about what they need in terms of education about meth and how to check its growth. A panel will pick the sites for the program. Jensen noted that a recent area meeting had attracted 70 business and community leaders and provided them with information about meth. Some have since called back and asked for more training within their communities, Jensen said. "We've created a base of education here," she said. The issue has drawn more attention after a recent meth-related shooting in Colton, north of Sioux Falls. Bill C. Thompson Sr., 48, was shot June 27 by police after allegedly firing 14 shots into a semi. Police say they later found a remarkably sophisticated meth lab at his home, complete with police scanners and night vision surveillance cameras. Thompson allegedly pulled his vehicle next to a parked livestock truck on a county road and shot at the man and woman inside. Thompson then fled and after a short chase with deputies, he ended up back at the semi and again shot into the truck, authorities said. That's when the deputy fired one round at him. He is being held on assault charges. He is believed to have a relationship with one person in the truck. Meth production has been spreading across the Midwest in recent years, said Larry Long, chief deputy attorney general for South Dakota. "I think it's hard to understate the significance of methamphetamine," he said in a phone interview Monday. "A pretty good example is the deal down in Colton." Meth can make users unpredictable and prone to violence, Long said. Daschle said it's important to act before the problem becomes entrenched. "We have to commit the resources now to head off the threat," he said at the news conference by video feed from Washington. The statewide program through the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse will use a range of methods, including media campaigns and working with parents, coaches and community leaders. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth