Tracknum: 3137.41042777.7010205 Pubdate: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 Source: Grand Forks Herald (ND) Copyright: 2004 Grand Forks Herald Contact: http://www.northscape.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/513 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) CITIZENS CAN FIGHT BACK AGAINST METH OUR VIEW: Yes, there are effective strategies that voters and the government can use. Here are some. How bad is the meth problem in our area? This bad: "Meth is the single most serious law enforcement issue that North Dakota is facing, or has ever faced," attorney general Wayne Stenehjem told the New York Times. And if you spent any time with Herald staff writer Rona K. Johnson's recent series on meth, you'd agree. Meth is methamphetamine. First synthesized in 1919 in a Japanese lab, it's a member of the amphetamine family of drugs - a family that became part of the landscape in America and around the world in the early- and mid-1900s. During World War II, for example, American, British, German and Japanese soldiers were given amphetamine tablets -"pep pills" - to stay alert for long periods and ward off drowsiness. But after the war, the Japanese military's vast stockpiles of amphetamines became available for civilian use - and Japan endured an epidemic of methamphetamine abuse in the 1950s. Something similar happened in America in the 1960s, as truck drivers, athletes, college students and others took methamphetamine and other "uppers" to get high and enhance performance. Widespread abuse let to tighter and tighter restrictions on production and supply. To this day, methamphetamine still is made and marketed legally as a prescription drug, under the trade name Desoxyn. But illegal manufacture and use has metastasized into a cancer on rural America. The purity and concentration of "homecooked" meth generates such intense euphoria that it can be psychologically addicting after only one use. The chronic abuse that follows leads many users to a Stygian underworld of skin sores, tooth loss, malnutrition - and often, child abuse, domestic violence and death. To make matters worse, meth addiction turns out to be extremely difficult to treat. Mental-health professionals still are struggling to develop programs that will keep a majority of users from relapsing once the treatment has ended. But citizens must not give up hope. That's the No. 1 message from police officers, social workers and others who see the results of meth abuse: There are things society can do to to greatly reduce the severity of this problem, even though, realistically, it may never be eliminated altogether. Those measures include: . Passing laws to more tightly restrict meth "precursors" - the ingredients, such as certain cold tablets, that get used in the manufacture of meth. . Fully training and equipping police officers and other people involved in meth response. Just as an example, a kitchen "meth lab" is an extremely hazardous waste site, one where dangerous chemicals such as acetone and hydrochloric acid saturate carpets and contaminate plumbing - or cause the whole structure to go up in flames. Busting, securing and cleaning up such crime scenes demands very specialized training and protective gear. . Strengthening school-age prevention programs. Meth is a tremendously dangerous drug, and educators should pull no punches in presenting that fact to young people. If they don't already do so, teachers also should talk about the drug's history - for example, its widespread use during World War II - and point out how that "historic" use differs from today's. Such frank talk can help overcome teenagers' natural suspicion that grownups are exaggerating a drug's risks. . Support research and funding for developing more effective prevention, treatment and lab cleanup programs. Thanks to news stories and other reports, awareness of meth's realities is growing fast among the general public. Let's strike while the electric skillet - a common meth-lab tool - is hot and keep working on solving this serious problem.