Turn Out The Lights On Meth
By Crook County Judge Scott R. Cooper
Published, April 2005, in the Central Oregonian
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead, anthropologist.
Mead’s quote was the unofficial theme of a dinner Friday night, which culminated a days worth of reflection and planning by citizens and local officials dedicated to a single goal: the interdiction and prevention of methamphetamine in abuse and distribution in Crook County. About 90 citizens participated in the day-long planning session. The people you would usually expect to be there—law enforcement officers, prosecutors, substance abuse counselors, social workers and educators--were all there. But so were business owners, motel operators, representatives of the faith community and community advocates. Many of them had spent the day in a planning session, mulling over strategies for ridding Crook County of the effects of this terribly addictive substance which has become the number one crime problem in America.
Despite the seriousness of the methamphetamine problem, many citizens know remarkably little about it. Certainly, they are not aware of facts like these, which were shared at the Methamphetamine Prevention Project success dinner Friday night:
Meth is so addictive that a single exposure can cause an individual to become addicted. A single hit of Meth is six times more powerful than a hit of cocaine.
In Oregon last year, 100 percent of the cases involving the termination of parental rights were somehow tied to meth abuse.
In the past 10 years, the federal government has spent in excess of $135 million combating meth abuse in Oregon alone.
The ingredients for making meth are so common that they can be assembled in any hardware store and cooked in any home microwave, making interdiction nearly impossible.
Meth is made from products such as rubbing alcohol, drain cleaner, camping fuel, paint thinner, lye and household batteries. Although most people would never ingest such items independently, an alarming number of people is willing to swallow them when they are cooked together and reduced to powered form.
Every pound of meth produced produces 5-7 pounds of toxic waste, much of which ends up in municipal sewer systems and which is extremely damaging to the environment.
Initially meth users feel an incredible surge of energy which can last for up to 12 hours. Over time, the amount of meth required to sustain a “high” increases. Meth users become increasingly desperate to obtain their drug of choice, and much of the petty crime which plagues communities is a direct result of desperate addicts stealing anything that can be converted to ready cash to get their next fix. Because Meth causers users to lose emotional control, they tend to become violent over time. In addition to property crimes, meth users are highly likely to commit crimes against persons. More than any other drug, meth is causing local jails and state and federal prisons to overflow, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
The recovery rate for meth addicts, even if they can find and afford a treatment program, is extremely low. Estimates are that 60 to 70 percent of addicts will not succeed in treatment, which can take over a year. Often three or four rounds of treatment is required to even have a hope of succeeding.
Such numbers are sobering. Yet most of us are still oblivious to the signs of methamphetamine addiction and production. The edgy, jittery neighbor next door, we dismiss as a crank. The blacked out windows, we attribute to paranoia. The coming and going at all hours, we assume is the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, without stopping to think it may be a meth addict running off nervous energy or on the prowl for easy money.
Not knowing the signs of meth is understandable and forgivable. Personally, I’ve only learned in the last few years how serious the problem is, what a meth problem looks like and how much a part meth plays in keeping the crime rate up. But once you’ve been educated about meth, then it’s unforgivable not to be willing to do something about it.
Enter the Methamphetamine Prevention Project, funded by the federal government through the Crook County Community Coalition, the Oregon Partnership and the Crook County Commission on Children and Families.
Using a federal grant just short of $200,000 The Methamphetamine Prevention Project is spreading the word through publications, through small neighborhood coffees, ice cream socials and pizza parties, about the dangers of meth and how to recognize a meth problem in the neighborhood. In doing so, it is creating a network of “reporters” to help law enforcement track the sources of this insidious drug. It is helping educate local retailers about how to spot a potential meth cook and cut off access to essential supplies. It is helping educate children and about the dangers of meth and to encourage them not to start (a very important goal, since nearly 6 percent of youngsters under the age of 18 report having tried the drug.)
The efforts of the project are paying off. A report from a narcotics detective at the meth prevention forum was that many meth “cooks” have starting going to neighboring counties to obtain supplies because many are no longer available in Prineville stores. An undercover operative reported that as recently as 18 months ago, he locally assembled everything he needed in single afternoon to create a portable meth lab, but when he attempted to repeat that experiment a month ago, the supplies simply weren’t available.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the total usage of meth continues to rise in the U.S., in Oregon and in Crook County. Along with usage, costs to society and taxpayers are going up as well.
An ex-addict from Sister attending the meth prevention project dinner gave a compelling testimony of how meth destroyed his life, causing him to lose his marriage, multiple jobs and his children. He commended the Crook County effort, noting that purveyors and addicts alike will avoid a community when they know the community members are on the alert for them. He said he finally found his salvation from the grip of Meth when he turned to God, and concluded his remarks noting a Bible verse which reads, “Turn the light on the darkness, and the darkness will flee.”
His comments spoke eloquently and directly to the efforts of the Crook County Methamphetamine Prevention Project. This group is working hard to “Turn the lights on,” and rid our community of a menace to us all.
Editor’s note: for information about how you can get involved in Crook County’s Methamphetamine Prevention Project, call 447-3260.
Published, April 2005, in the Central Oregonian
Meth Is A Bigger Problem Than You Might Think
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”—Margaret Mead, anthropologist.
Mead’s quote was the unofficial theme of a dinner Friday night, which culminated a days worth of reflection and planning by citizens and local officials dedicated to a single goal: the interdiction and prevention of methamphetamine in abuse and distribution in Crook County. About 90 citizens participated in the day-long planning session. The people you would usually expect to be there—law enforcement officers, prosecutors, substance abuse counselors, social workers and educators--were all there. But so were business owners, motel operators, representatives of the faith community and community advocates. Many of them had spent the day in a planning session, mulling over strategies for ridding Crook County of the effects of this terribly addictive substance which has become the number one crime problem in America.
Despite the seriousness of the methamphetamine problem, many citizens know remarkably little about it. Certainly, they are not aware of facts like these, which were shared at the Methamphetamine Prevention Project success dinner Friday night:
Meth is so addictive that a single exposure can cause an individual to become addicted. A single hit of Meth is six times more powerful than a hit of cocaine.
In Oregon last year, 100 percent of the cases involving the termination of parental rights were somehow tied to meth abuse.
In the past 10 years, the federal government has spent in excess of $135 million combating meth abuse in Oregon alone.
The ingredients for making meth are so common that they can be assembled in any hardware store and cooked in any home microwave, making interdiction nearly impossible.
Meth is made from products such as rubbing alcohol, drain cleaner, camping fuel, paint thinner, lye and household batteries. Although most people would never ingest such items independently, an alarming number of people is willing to swallow them when they are cooked together and reduced to powered form.
Every pound of meth produced produces 5-7 pounds of toxic waste, much of which ends up in municipal sewer systems and which is extremely damaging to the environment.
Initially meth users feel an incredible surge of energy which can last for up to 12 hours. Over time, the amount of meth required to sustain a “high” increases. Meth users become increasingly desperate to obtain their drug of choice, and much of the petty crime which plagues communities is a direct result of desperate addicts stealing anything that can be converted to ready cash to get their next fix. Because Meth causers users to lose emotional control, they tend to become violent over time. In addition to property crimes, meth users are highly likely to commit crimes against persons. More than any other drug, meth is causing local jails and state and federal prisons to overflow, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
The recovery rate for meth addicts, even if they can find and afford a treatment program, is extremely low. Estimates are that 60 to 70 percent of addicts will not succeed in treatment, which can take over a year. Often three or four rounds of treatment is required to even have a hope of succeeding.
Such numbers are sobering. Yet most of us are still oblivious to the signs of methamphetamine addiction and production. The edgy, jittery neighbor next door, we dismiss as a crank. The blacked out windows, we attribute to paranoia. The coming and going at all hours, we assume is the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, without stopping to think it may be a meth addict running off nervous energy or on the prowl for easy money.
Not knowing the signs of meth is understandable and forgivable. Personally, I’ve only learned in the last few years how serious the problem is, what a meth problem looks like and how much a part meth plays in keeping the crime rate up. But once you’ve been educated about meth, then it’s unforgivable not to be willing to do something about it.
Enter the Methamphetamine Prevention Project, funded by the federal government through the Crook County Community Coalition, the Oregon Partnership and the Crook County Commission on Children and Families.
Using a federal grant just short of $200,000 The Methamphetamine Prevention Project is spreading the word through publications, through small neighborhood coffees, ice cream socials and pizza parties, about the dangers of meth and how to recognize a meth problem in the neighborhood. In doing so, it is creating a network of “reporters” to help law enforcement track the sources of this insidious drug. It is helping educate local retailers about how to spot a potential meth cook and cut off access to essential supplies. It is helping educate children and about the dangers of meth and to encourage them not to start (a very important goal, since nearly 6 percent of youngsters under the age of 18 report having tried the drug.)
The efforts of the project are paying off. A report from a narcotics detective at the meth prevention forum was that many meth “cooks” have starting going to neighboring counties to obtain supplies because many are no longer available in Prineville stores. An undercover operative reported that as recently as 18 months ago, he locally assembled everything he needed in single afternoon to create a portable meth lab, but when he attempted to repeat that experiment a month ago, the supplies simply weren’t available.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that the total usage of meth continues to rise in the U.S., in Oregon and in Crook County. Along with usage, costs to society and taxpayers are going up as well.
An ex-addict from Sister attending the meth prevention project dinner gave a compelling testimony of how meth destroyed his life, causing him to lose his marriage, multiple jobs and his children. He commended the Crook County effort, noting that purveyors and addicts alike will avoid a community when they know the community members are on the alert for them. He said he finally found his salvation from the grip of Meth when he turned to God, and concluded his remarks noting a Bible verse which reads, “Turn the light on the darkness, and the darkness will flee.”
His comments spoke eloquently and directly to the efforts of the Crook County Methamphetamine Prevention Project. This group is working hard to “Turn the lights on,” and rid our community of a menace to us all.
Editor’s note: for information about how you can get involved in Crook County’s Methamphetamine Prevention Project, call 447-3260.
posted by Scott Cooper | 12:53 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home