Pubdate: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 Source: Wisconsin State Journal (WI) Copyright: 2006 Madison Newspapers, Inc. Contact: http://www.madison.com/wsj/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/506 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) RID WISCONSIN OF METH PROBLEM Wisconsin's efforts to reduce methamphetamine labs are working. But the state must now expand the battle against the illicit drug on another front: Halting the trade in meth flowing into the state from labs elsewhere, particularly Mexico. To shore up resources on this added battlefront, Wisconsin should: .Pressure the federal government to strengthen joint U.S.-Mexican anti-trafficking efforts. U.S.-Mexican cooperation can be effective. Earlier this month, Mexican law enforcement officials, trained in anti-meth procedures by U.S. officials, seized a meth "superlab" near Guadalajara that had been feeding meth into the United States. However, a comprehensive anti-meth initiative involving U.S. and Mexican cooperation was slow in developing, only getting a start in May of this year. Wisconsin's congressional delegation should demand that the Bush administration vigorously pursue the initiative. .Lobby federal officials to obtain more aid for anti-meth law enforcement and drug treatment programs. A prime option is to convince federal officials to designate western Wisconsin as a high-intensity drug trafficking area, eligible for federal money. .Create and train more law enforcement teams to focus on meth-trafficking and abuse in the most affected areas. .Educate the public on meth abuse. Families should learn to recognize the signs of meth abuse: agitation, excited speech, violent behavior, weight loss and tendencies to compulsively clean and groom and to repetitively sort objects. Families also should be aware that meth abusers can benefit from drug treatment programs and support groups. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug linked to brain-cell damage and violent acts. In the difficult fight against meth trafficking and abuse, Wisconsin law enforcement has registered some success. Fewer small meth labs are being found and destroyed in the state, after a peak of 112 small meth labs were destroyed in 2003. In the first half of 2006, authorities destroyed 22 meth labs, which could bring the total for the year below last year's total of 56 labs. The reduction in local labs follows a national trend. But the decline in local labs has failed to shut off the supply of meth. The lab industry has merely consolidated in fewer locations, relying on trafficking networks to move the drug to customers. Wisconsin cannot afford to slack off in its vigilance against local labs. But the state should also devote more resources to stopping meth traffic. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek