Pubdate: Sat, 09 Jul 2005
Source: Union, The (CA)
Copyright: 2005 Nevada County Publishing Company
Contact:  http://www.theunion.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/957
Source: The Union (CA)
Author: Pat Butler

DRUG WAR NEEDS TO TARGET METH

While the feds are busy rousting cannabis co-ops in Northern California,
county leaders from across the nation are busy trying to keep up with
mounting fiscal and social costs associated with the methamphetamine crisis.

According to a National Association of Counties' survey of law enforcement
officials, meth is the No. 1 drug problem in their communities, and it's
plaguing their citizens in a vast array of ways.

Five hundred counties from 45 states participated in the survey that was
released this week. Of that group, 58 percent said meth is the drug that's
hurting their communities the most; 87 percent reported an increase in meth
arrests in the last five years; 70 percent cited meth as the reason for an
increase in robberies and burglaries; 62 percent said it has led to an
increase in domestic violence; and 17 percent said more than half of their
inmates are in jail because of meth. In the last five years, California
counties reported a 71 percent increase in out-of-home placements, which is
when children are taken from their parents or guardians.

The survey results reflect what we're seeing in Nevada County. A recent
Grand Jury report said that 72 percent of the cases handled by the district
attorney's office, which has an annual budget of $2.8 million, involve meth.
It went on to say that 50 percent of the public defender's caseload involves
meth cases. Their budget is $1.3 million. And, finally, 45 percent of those
sitting in the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility are there because of meth.

The national survey ends with a call for more federal assistance and a
national strategy to help fight the meth problem.

What makes meth the bile that is burning a growing hole in America's
softening underbelly is its appetite for destruction. Meth's addictive
qualities are legendary as is its ability to take over one's life and
transform its victims into drags on society or worse. Once this most toxic
drug gets its grip on your soul, you're likely on your way to a freefall
that accelerates as a consequence of a series of increasingly poor
decisions.

I've talked to people who said that while in the throes of the meth
lifestyle, it wasn't unusual for them or their friends to be awake for days
at a time. One man casually talked of injecting the drug into his neck. He
also talked about how easy it is to make and sell meth. He went on to say
he's been in and out of prison for the last 10 years. His future appeared
somewhat cloudy, although he was in his late 30s.

Meth users lose their jobs, their families and their good sense. They steal
or make and sell meth to support their habits, which makes our streets more
dangerous while the legal system struggles with a crushing caseload that
oftentimes includes repeat offenders. Social service agencies are trying to
help broken and increasingly desperate people who at some point must realize
the horrible consequences of always chasing that first high. The
manufacturing process pollutes our land and water.

To further complicate matters, this problem is sweeping across an America
that is struggling with its own transition from a mighty industrial economy
that once nourished a flourishing middle class to a service and retail
economy that requires more of us to work at less pay for companies that are
no longer loyal to the working class.

That transition is pushing more people closer to a state of hopelessness,
making them prime candidates for drug and alcohol abuse.

While Nevada County needs to marshall its resources to fight this scourge,
it's going to have a difficult time succeeding unless it's in step with a
national strategy. As the National Association of Counties' survey confirms,
this problem needs to be addressed on a grand scale or else it will continue
to bleed counties dry. It is a social problem of mammoth proportions.

So if we do indeed have an administration that likes to run government like
a business, I suggest it re-evaluate its priorities in this so-called drug
war. Now, marijuana is in the middle of the crosshairs of the federal
government's enforcement efforts.

I, however, am not concerned about Dr. Marion Fry and her husband, Dale
Schafer, who were recently arrested by federal agents for providing medical
marijuana to patients in the Placer County community of Cool, which happens
to be in a state that allows patients with prescriptions to get medical pot.

I'm far more concerned about some angry, jobless individual who believes
he's being chased by demons or aliens as a result of sleep deprivation
brought on by excessive use of meth, a drug we all agree has no redeeming
medical qualities while threatening our public safety, families and
environment.

It will, of course, take more than arrests to curtail the meth problem. As
part of the search for solutions, we need to ask: Why is there a surge in
meth use in the country? Why do so many people feel they need it to survive
in our society? In essence, is the proliferation of meth use a symptom of an
ailing society or is it just too tempting of a drug to pass up for a certain
percentage of people who will inevitably become addicted to its immediate
charms?

While we're examining those issues, though, we need to focus on the present,
which is where law enforcement now finds itself. The federal government
should listen to these concerns and work with counties to take care of what
they consider to be their top drug problem.
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