Dear Editor: Two years ago, I learned about methamphetamine and how fast lives can be changed by this drug. When I saw a relative at Christmas in 2004, he was healthy, working and excited about life. When I saw him again in March 2005, he had become a walking, paranoid, scabbed skeleton. I had my head in the sand about meth and did not realize what was wrong with him until one of his friends called me and said that if I cared about him, I better do something right away to get him help. [continues 387 words]
Dear Editor: The use of methamphetamine in Wisconsin is a growing problem that is not going to just go away. The number of cases in the Chippewa Valley soared from nine in 2003 to 80 in 2004 and statewide jumped from 314 in 2003 to 545 last year. "This is not like other drugs. Nobody's getting off this drug without legitimate treatment," says Shawna Kovach, director of L.E. Phillips, a treatment center in Chippewa Falls. Wisconsin needs to take immediate action to prevent the use of meth from escalating beyond control by taking multiple steps, including: [continues 197 words]
The use of methamphetamine in Wisconsin is a growing problem that is not going to just go away. The number of cases in the Chippewa Valley soared from nine in 2003 to 80 in 2004 and statewide jumped from 314 in 2003 to 545 last year. "This is not like other drugs. Nobody's getting off this drug without legitimate treatment," says Shawna Kovach, director of L.E. Phillips, a treatment center in Chippewa Falls. Wisconsin needs to take immediate action to prevent the use of meth from escalating beyond control by taking multiple steps including: [continues 195 words]
