Pubdate: Sat, 04 Dec 2004
Source: Albert Lea Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2004 Albert Lea Tribune Inc.
Contact:  http://www.albertleatribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3521
Author: Debbie Irmen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Series: Other articles in this series may be found at
http://www.mapinc.org/source/Alberta+Lea+Tribune

METH: A RURAL EPIDEMIC

Editor's note: This is the last in a series of the impact of meth in Albert
Lea and Freeborn County.

Methamphetimine use takes good people and makes them unscupulous, but
officials insist it is the drug's hold that turns good people bad.

"We're dealing with people making bad decisions," said Freeborn County
Sheriff Mark Harig. "By the time we see them, we don't see the goodness
anymore; we see the paranoia - the drug's hold on them."

Law enforcement officers have been aware of meth use since the 70s, but
Harig said he did't really start focusing on meth until 1992, when he joined
the South Central Drug Task Force. He spent nine years as an investigator,
aggressively targeting drug activitiy, which included meth stings. That's
when he saw first-hand the total devastation of lives from meth.

"It's more potent than cocaine," he explained. "It's a bad addiction."

One of the reasons meth has become the "drug of choice," he said, is it's
easy to get and the cost is not prohibitive to general use. Cocaine has to
be smuggled in, and most users can't make it because the main ingredient is
grown in tropical climates. Meth uses common household ingredients and is
fairly easy to make.

Freeborn County's aggressive and proactive response to the meth issue is a
double-edged sword. On the one hand, this approach is catching meth users
and those who manufacture the drug; but it also gives the impression
Freeborn County has a bigger problem than other counties.

"Freeborn County is no dirtier than any other part of the country," said
Harig. "But (we) are out there looking for labs."

According to county statastics, the sheriff's office broke up 17 meth labs
this year, up seven over 2003. The Albert Lea Police Department stopped two
labs in 2004, down from 2003's 10 labs.

Local possession of meth arrests by the sheriff's office in 2004 was 32, up
10 from the 22 possession arrests in 2003. The Albert Lea Police department
made 24 possession arrests in 2004, down from the 34 in 2003.

Sale of meth arrests by the county were at 32 in 2004, more than double
2003's 15 arrests for sales, while the police department made no arrests for
the sale of meth in 2004 and only two arrests in 2003.

The sheriff's department made two anhydrous amonia theft arrests in 2004,
down from the four arrests in 2003; the ALPD made zero of these arrests in
2004 and one in 2003.

Harig pointed out that some numbers may be low in 2003 because the task
force drug agent was injured in 2003 and unable to work after August that
year.

Drug enforcement, stings and undercover work continues to be effective in
the fight against meth use, he said.

So why is meth use so prevalent? Harig thinks kids need more to do.

"Ninety percent use because of boredom. They get tired of drinking and move
onto other things," said Harig about why meth use is so popular. "Kids don't
have the responsibilities they used to have to keep them busy."

While Harig said the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, better known
as D.A.R.E., is good for teaching fifth-graders decision-making and building
self-esteem, the program has fallen short of its intended goal - to prevent
drug use as kids age into teens and young adults.

"We've found you have to hit kids again in junior high and high school, you
have to keep (the educational effort) up, for it to work," said Harig.

Although the D.A.R.E. program hasn't produced the intended long term
results, Harig was quick to say education remains the key to preventing meth
use.

After years of education, people are more cautious about drinking and
driving. The same will be true for meth use, he believes.

He applauds the efforts of the newly formed United Way's Meth Equals Death
Community Impact Project, saying they are educating people about the perils
of meth.

"We have to keep educating people. We have to watch our kids, account for
what they're doing. If parents are being lied to, there must be a reason for
it."

Community awareness is also critical, he said.

"Take care of you and your family; then branch out to your neighbor; that's
a good place to start. Report what you see. So many people don't believe
what they are seeing," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Josh