Pubdate: Sun, 11 Dec 2005
Source: Indianapolis Star (IN)
Copyright: 2005 Indianapolis Newspapers Inc.
Contact: http://www.indystar.com/help/contact/letters.html
Website: http://www.starnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/210
Author: Heather Bolejack
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

LEADERS TO BRAINSTORM FOR SOLUTIONS

This week, more than 150 state leaders from 13 Midwestern states will
gather in Indianapolis to share "best practices" in the fight against
meth. Indiana will be in the national spotlight with Gov. Mitch
Daniels hosting the first meth summit held in coordination with the
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

As the crossroads of America, Indiana is surrounded by states
experiencing similar challenges. The threat of meth is no greater
anywhere in the U.S. than in the Midwest, where more than half the
meth incidents occur.

That is why Midwestern governors place the epidemic at the top of
their list in the fight against illegal drugs.

The summit is an opportunity for everyone working to combat meth to
seek out new ideas and brainstorm with other state leaders to develop
creative solutions. Topics to be highlighted include prevention,
treatment, environment, family and social services, and health. Among
the "best practices" that Indiana will showcase include how we care
for drug-endangered children and how we treat abusers who want to get
clean. James Payne, director of the Department of Child Services, will
discuss Indiana's Drug Endangered Children Protocol, which was
designed to address the need for specific instructions on removing
children from meth homes.

The protocol is being used as a model by at least one other state.
Meth users need to be rehabilitated while in prison to ensure they are
drug-free and able to lead a normal life once released.

Rehabilitating them requires extensive treatment programs designed to
meet the specific needs of users. Indiana is leading the states in
meth treatment facilities such as the Miami Correctional Facility and
with rehab units opening in the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility
and the women's Rockville Correctional Facility. This is the first
women's program of its kind in the nation. The Indiana Meth-Free
Coalition was formed in early 2005 in response to the Meth Protection
Act pass by the legislature. This law restricts the sale of many
products that are used illegally to create meth labs. Since the law
went into effect in July, lab seizures have decreased dramatically.
The law can only be effective if retailers and citizens are aware of
the dangers associated with meth. The Indiana Criminal Justice
Institute, in conjunction with the Meth-Free Indiana Coalition,
Department of Correction and the Indiana State Police, has launched
the Indiana Meth Watch Program, designed to educate retailers and
citizens while empowering them to actively seek to prevent meth from
being made in their communities. Finally, the meth summit will
conclude with a state and regional strategic planning process designed
to launch new solutions to address the epidemic. We know that the
complex problem of meth will require partnered solutions with nearby
states.

One area in which Indiana is breaking ground is the creation of the
Meth Free Indiana Data Repository, which enhances public safety
through application of state-of-the-art research.

The repository will provide a resource available to policy planners in
the public and private sectors. To learn more about the meth summit go
to www.methfreeindiana.org. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake