Pubdate: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 Source: Mesabi Daily News (MN) Copyright: 2004 Mesabi Daily News Contact: http://www.virginiamn.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2565 Author: Sheila Dianoski, Mesabi Daily News Note: Other news clippings in this series may be found at http://www.mapinc.org/source/Mesabi+Daily+News Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) DRUG FORUM AN EYE-OPENER Production, and Usage a Serious Area Problem VIRGINIA - Methamphetamine is a factor in 90 percent of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency cases being handled in Minneapolis. Still, recovering meth user Joe Schmidt says law enforcement isn't making a dent in the problem. "This affects everyone, everywhere, and anybody I've ever associated with the drug has never been caught," Schmidt, a Pengilly native, said. "These guys have good numbers but there are so many more." When asked how many meth users, dealers and producers he personally knows, he estimated about 100. It was just one of many eye-opening facts the crowd of about 80 learned at the Free Your Community from Meth program Thursday afternoon at the Park Inn. The panel discussion, sponsored by the United Way and many other local groups, was one of five scheduled this week. Two more programs are scheduled for today. The first will be at 7:30 a.m. at the Chisholm Senior Center and the second will be at noon at the Virginia Park Inn. The panels include former methamphetamine addicts and their parents, law enforcement, treatment center officials and a DEA agent, Cinda Lutz. "St. Louis County attorneys are prosecuting more meth cases than DWI cases," Lt. Tim Harkonen of the Sheriff's Department told the crowd. "When you get to that point, you have a problem. Folks, we live on the Iron Range, where alcohol has, somewhere along the lines, become a part of the culture." The panel discussed the effects of methamphetamine use, including rotting teeth, open sores, paranoia, loss of appetite and staying awake for days on end, only to crash after "coming down," for one to three days. They also talked about how addictive the drug is. "Users become obsessed with the drug," Bob Whalen, with the inpatient treatment program at the Fairview University Medical Center in Hibbing, said. "This drug has a gravitational pull that is so strong that traditional treatments aren't really suited to it." They need longer-term treatments to deal with the addiction, which can overcome them the first time they use meth and never really goes away, he said. The audience also learned about the financial obstacles facing treatment services, leaving many who need help to fend for themselves. The panel included four recovering methamphetamine addicts, and each had troubles getting help from the system. They have relied on family and friends to help them stay sober. "With everything as tight as it is, a lot of people fall through the cracks," Pat Grahek, chemical dependency counselor at the Arrowhead Center, said. "I am so pleased that this many people are here. You can't get a group like this together for anything less than a keg party." The size of the crowd at the 2:30 p.m. program showed that the community is concerned and ready to take a stand against methamphetamine, Lutz said. "This problem affects everyone," she said. "The materials used to make meth produce hazardous waste. The ratio is, for every pound of meth made, there are five to seven pounds of waste." About 20 percent of the methamphetamine used in Minnesota is made in Minnesota, she said. And the state spent $23 million just on cleaning up abandoned meth labs, Doris Schmidt, Joe's mother, said. "It's terrible when this hits you in your family," she said. "But what you need to know is, it's terrible when it hits you in your community, too. If it doesn't hit you personally, it will hit you in your pocketbook. This problem affects everybody." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake