Pubdate: Fri, 28 Nov 2003
Source: Des Moines Register (IA)
Section: Crime & Courts
Copyright: 2003 The Des Moines Register.
Contact: http://DesMoinesRegister.com/help/letter.html
Website: http://desmoinesregister.com/index.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/123
Note: Register Staff Report
Note: Part of a series on methamphetamine - see 
http://www.mapinc.org/source/Des+Moines+Register

VIEW FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Former Users: It's About Treatment

Kenny Morrison, a former methamphetamine user and dealer from southeast 
Iowa, is interested in speaking to school or community groups about the 
issue. The Register asked him what Iowa can do to better handle the meth 
problem:

On prison: "There's several things that come to mind. The first thing, of 
course, would be the people that are getting in trouble for petty meth 
crimes. Rather than imprison them, if they could somehow force rehab upon 
them, they may help a lot of them become clean and sober again, like a dry 
spell, so they can realize where their life is taking them while they are 
using the meth."

On public awareness: "It seems like the government doesn't like people to 
know just how serious of a problem this meth is, and they need to make 
people aware that the epidemic is a widespread problem. But I mean there 
are so many different ways that they can do it. Like the little TV 
advertisements they have, they just show the person on meth. They don't 
show the devastation caused to the family members, to society, to everyone 
else."

On rehabilitation: "It costs on average $23,000 per year, per inmate to 
house them in a penitentiary, where if they can put them through rehab, it 
would serve the same effect. A lot of the time it would be more beneficial 
to them for not even a fourth of the money. So you would get four or five 
times as many people through rehab to help them versus putting them in 
prison and spending that much more money.

On chemicals: "There are chemists and scientists everywhere in the United 
States and everywhere in the world for that matter. If they could come up 
with some chemical that would not alter the effects that the anhydrous 
ammonia has on the farmers' fields, but yet it would alter the chemical 
compound of the anhydrous ammonia to where it wouldn't produce meth 
properly, just mix it in the anhydrous ammonia. Just little things like that."

Candy Heimbaugh, a former addict, had this to say about how Iowans could 
fight the meth problem more successfully:

On quitting: "To get sober, you have to want it. You have to be tired of 
that world. You have to want to better yourself and you definitely have to 
stay away from people who use meth. My treatment was exceptionally good. 
The only criticism I would have is that they shouldn't tell people the 
statistics" of those who fail. "In my group, they told us at the beginning 
that only one in 15 people was going to make it. I keep thinking if only 
one is going to make it, it's not going to be me. I really worried about 
that the whole time."

On curbing supply: "I knew people in Missouri who would drive clear to 
Oklahoma to buy ephedrine. We need a national law making it harder to get 
(precursors), and we also need a better way to lock up anhydrous tanks."

On treatment: Heimbaugh said she favors the expansion of drug-court 
programs over jailing more addicts. "There are so many children in foster 
homes and so many parents in prison. You have to realize: Pretty much all 
these people can't do much to help their addiction. Once you take that 
first hit, you're stuck." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake