Pubdate: Sat, 22 Jun 2013 Source: Daily Independent (Ridgecrest, CA) Copyright: 2013 The Daily Independent Contact: http://www.ridgecrestca.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/669 Author: Jack Barnwell Looking to Cut Drug Use GLEASON SPEAKS ABOUT PROGRAM AT LUNCHEON Kern County First District Supervisor Mick Gleason spoke Friday at the Ridgecrest Republican Women, Federated club's monthly luncheon on an issue centered around his campaign promise - combating methamphetamine use in the county. Kern County First District Supervisor Mick Gleason spoke Friday at the Ridgecrest Republican Women, Federated club's monthly luncheon on an issue centered around his campaign promise - combating methamphetamine use in the county. Gleason, recently tapped to chair the Kern Stop Meth Now's task force program, promoted an upcoming event at Riverside Park in Kernville on July 6 as a way to help address an influx of meth use. "The emphasis is going to be on recovery and the hope of recovery," Gleason said. "There are ways to bounce back from being addicts and abusers, and change course in their lives with proper support and patience." The event will feature guest speaker Nic Sheff, an author and recovering addict, and free dinner, followed by a fireworks show. He said task forces like Kern Stop Meth Now could help "make our community and county better than it was" by addressing the issue, not ignoring it. "We're making a hard stand against this," Gleason said. Gleason said the July 6 event's location was chosen because Kernville is one of the highest areas of methamphetamine use in the county, along with the Tehachapi and Mojave areas. "The reason for that is because methamphetamine is no longer just produced in labs," Gleason said. "It is now being imported from countries south of the border and one of its first stops in the U.S. is Kern County." He said once meth hits Kern County, it typically gets distributed to eastern markets via Highway 178 or Route 58. "That's why the DEA believes the concentration of abusers right now is in Kern River Valley, Tehachapi and Mojave areas," Gleason said. He said the July 6 event would not be the only one planned through Kern Stop Meth Now. The organization has formed task forces in partnership with the Kern County Department of Mental Health to combat high methamphetamine use rates. The partnership dates back to 2008. Gleason challenged that it wasn't just the government's responsibility to handle methamphetamine problems. "You (the community) have to take ownership of this problem and have to recognize it is destroying your communities, your families and your budgets," Gleason said. "What I'm trying to do is motivate you and give you resources that we have to help you eradicate this problem." Gleason said he believed with a hard push it would be possible to improve the quality of life and reduce the impact methamphetamine has on the county. A 2009 study conducted by the Kern County Mental Health Substance Abuse System of Care revealed that 40 percent of crimes prosecuted in the county were methamphetamine-related. "You guys are probably a lot like me," Gleason said on the issue. "You know it's a problem but, speaking for myself, I could never recognize it." He said he had heard about the signs of meth use and abuse, including bad teeth, poor skin and other indicators. "It's much more than that and I didn't know anything about it," Gleason said. Additionally, the age in which children are exposed to methamphetamine is 13 years old something Gleason pointed out bluntly. "You guys knock on the doors of your sons, daughters, nephews and nieces and the people you know and you pulse this 12 or 13-year-old by asking what they know about methamphetamine," Gleason said. "And you yourselves should become educated about it, because we will be a better community for it. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom