Pubdate: Thu, 30 Jun 2005
Source: Stratford City Gazette, The (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 Stratford City Gazette
Contact: http://www.metroland.com/sw/customerservice/lettertoeditor/
Website: http://www.metroland.com/sw/news/stratford/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3716
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

WHY SO LONG TO SEE CRYSTAL METH PROBLEM?

At Monday night's council meeting, Mayor Dan Mathieson announced he had 
recently met with mayors from across the county and local police to discuss 
crystal methamphetamine issues in the area. The fact the highly addictive 
drug is being produced and consumed in Perth is nothing new to residents. 
For the last three years we've been reading about meth-lab discoveries, 
explosions and most recently, police stings taking down dealers. We applaud 
the fact our mayors are ready to discuss the affects of the local drug 
trade on the county, but are disturbed it took a story in The Toronto Star 
to kickstart the process. After all, methamphetamine problems in Perth have 
been covered extensively by local media over the last few years.

Mayor Mathieson himself said the meeting resulted from The Star article and 
we wonder if perhaps councils have chosen to turn a blind eye to what 
papers, radio and police in the area have been seeing for some time. Just a 
few weeks ago, Stratford city council was pleased to hear the city had 
received favourable coverage in the tourism section of a Detroit-area 
newspaper. City staff said several other reporters had been in the tourism 
office seeking information. However, responding to a local drug crisis only 
after it makes front-page news in the big-city daily makes it seem the real 
concern is about bad public relations and the effect on tourism that may 
result from it, rather than the welfare of our citizens and those affected 
by drug-related crime.

Nevermind the 83 meth addicts - some teenagers - who found themselves 
seeking help last year at Choices for Change.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom