Pubdate: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 Source: Greeneville Sun, The (TN) Copyright: 2004 The Greeneville Sun Contact: http://www.greenevillesun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2257 Author: Bill Jones Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE GIVENS WlILL CHAIR METHAMPHETAMINE TASK FORCE Gov. Phil Bredesen on Thursday named 20 Tennesseans from across the state to serve on the Governor's Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse. The task force will be chaired by Hawkins County native Ken Givens, who also serves as Tennessee's Commissioner of Agriculture. "The proliferation of meth represents a clear and present danger to the health and well-being of our children and our general population," Bredesen said. Reached by cellular telephone while he was traveling by car on Thursday afternoon, Commissioner Givens said he was honored to have been chosen by the governor to head the task force. "It's going to be a real challenge," he said. Givens noted that methamphetamine abuse "has grown exponentially" in Tennessee over the last five years and has hit rural areas of the state particularly hard. Speaking of those named to the task force, Givens said, "There is a lot of expertise among them. We hope to be able to lay out a path that we can follow to develop plans to attack this problem and at least make a big dent in the problem." Givens said, "Meth is one of the more harmful drugs that people can use." He expressed particular concern about harm to the children of meth abusers. Children of meth abusers often breathe toxic fumes generated when meth is produced inside homes. Morristown Police Chief Roger Overholt and Leighta Laitinen, community outreach and government relations manager for Johnson City-based Mountain States Health Alliance, are the only other Northeast Tennessee residents who were named to the Task Force. Members of the Task Force represent a broad cross section of expertise, including law enforcement, health care, education and human services. The panel also includes 12 ex-officio members who will provide general advice and counsel to the core group, the press release said. First Meeting On Tuesday The Task Force's first meeting is scheduled for April 27 at the State Capitol in Nashville. Subsequent meetings will be held in communities across the state. The Task Force is charged with developing a comprehensive strategy for addressing the manufacture, trafficking and abuse of methamphetamine in Tennessee. The Task Force's recommendations are due to the Governor no later than September 1. Methamphetamine, a powerfully addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system, is produced in clandestine laboratories across Tennessee with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. The drug has been on the rise in recent years. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that Tennessee now accounts for 75 percent of meth lab seizures in the Southeast. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin