Pubdate: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 Source: Dowagiac Daily News (MI) Copyright: 2006 Dowagiac Daily News Contact: http://www.dowagiacnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1554 Author: John Eby Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) WHAT'S COOKING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? Cass County's Meth Task Force is in the midst of distributing a quantity of public education materials. The rollout continues through September. Meth Watch materials aim at educating retailers, who received training in June. During road patrols, the Sheriff's Office is distributing Meth Watch retailer packets containing customer information sheets, door signs, shelf signs and an employee poster altering workers to "pre-cursor" material methamphetamine "cooks" might buy, such as cold pills containing ephedrine or pseudophedrine, acetone, rubbing and isopropyl alcohol, starter fluid (ether), gasoline additives (methanol), drain cleaner (sulfuric acid), lithium batteries, rock salt, matchbooks (red phosphorous), lye, paint thinner, aluminum foil, glassware, coffee filters and propane tanks. "In this one more way, the Cass County Sheriff's Office continues to be a leader in the fight against meth and should be congratulated for its efforts," Jen Lester, task force coordinator through Woodlands Addiction Center in Vandalia, said Thursday. She said retailers pose a "major line of defense against meth manufacturing" and protect their inventory and increase employee and customer safety by participating in the Meth Watch program. Participating restaurants include Porky's, Kulesia's, Big Eddies, the Council on Aging, Broadway Cafe and Subway in Cassopolis, with Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, Decatur and Marcellus restaurants approached for participation within the next week. Participating groceries include Felpausch Food Center, Save-a-Lot and Harding's in Cassopolis. Edwardsburg, Decatur and Marcellus groceries will be approached for participation within the next week also. Note pads have been produced to give away at public events, such as the county fair or agricultural seminars. Table tents go on restaurant table tops and as cashier-counter giveaways. An 8 1/2x11-inch document is a grocery bag stuffer distributed through local checkout lanes. "We have been thrilled with the responsiveness of local restaurants and grocery stores willing to participate in this public education effort," Lester said. "Just as encouraging is seeing the Meth Watch signage on the entry doors of so many Meth Watch and other public education efforts to know increased awareness leads to decreased manufacturing and related crime. The businesses participating in this effort should be publicly recognized by patrons for improving our safety and protecting the quality of life we enjoy in Cass County." Also being released in two stages is a resource directory. The first stage is to Cass County professionals - Department of Human Services, Health Department, probation and parole officers, lawyers, elected township officials and county commissioners. These will be mailed early next week. The second stage will be through the (prisoner) Discharge Planning Committee, New Hope, a drug testing facility for probationers and parolees and Community Mental Health and Addictions Treatment Center lobbies. "This directory is created in recognition that none of us are immune to life-threatening addictions," Lester said. "Once addicted, a meaningful recovery means rebuilding destroyed areas of a life" through employment, housing, medical and dental care and transportation. "This rebuilding usually won't occur without the intervention and support of other individuals and human service agencies," she said. "And rebuilding can be a daunting task for anyone, but for someone whose functioning has been severely impaired through drug abuse, the task looms even larger. The task force wants to support the commitment of recovering addicts and those affected by them and to recognize their efforts as an essential part of the fight against meth, resulting crime and its victims and harm to families in our county." Lester said the task force is also creating a "family-friendly" Web site (MethTalk.org) that will go live later this fall. Unlike many meth Web sites that contain graphic information and depictions unsuitable for some, MethTalk.org plans to include information contained in the resource directory, as well as meth-specific information appropriate for all Cass County residents. Lester said the fight against supply-and-demand of drugs of abuse must be waged collaboratively on three fronts - interdiction, prevention and treatment - to succeed: € Interdiction - seizure of drug shipments, closure of manufacturing/growing operations, arrests of users and successful prosecution and appropriate sentencing of those found responsible. € Prevention - public education and awareness, parent and student education, public policy and law advertising campaigns, community coalitions and any other effort that discourages use and abuse of drugs and changes tolerant community perceptions about drug use/abuse. € Treatment - alternatively meeting the needs of those who used/abused drugs believing it would improve their life circumstances and teaching and supporting their alternative choices. Family members and other partners who developed coping skills that improved their survival within the household - but consequently lessened their success outside of the home - are in need of treatment to appropriately support the recovering addict, discard and replace their own dysfunctional coping skills and to heal emotional and psychological wounds. "We are fortunate to live in a county where our sheriff, prosecuting attorney, the Dowagiac police chief and other area law enforcement leaders anticipated the influx of methamphetamine," Lester said. "They responded proactively, along with residents who supported a special law enforcement millage" in August 2004 - even before the task force formed. "The sheriff, prosecutor and local police chiefs continue to promote a successful and effective fight against meth in Cass County. "Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare and the Health Department also have a proactive history of prevention efforts within our schools and with individuals. Proactive community members, like those serving on the methamphetamine task force during the past year, are making a strong and positive impact." "Treatment efforts continue from a dedicated circle of professionals working in Cass County," Lester continued. "Unfortunately, substance abuse treatment dollars have slowly declined or stayed much the same over the past two decades in Michigan and in Cass County and limit the range and depth of treatment provided. As a task force we are actively encouraging our state and federal legislators to increase treatment funding and encourage our community to do the same." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman