Pubdate: Wed, 09 Nov 2005
Source: Newport News-Times (OR)
Copyright: 2005 Lee Enterprises Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newportnewstimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1135

CAPACITY AUDIENCE PACKS FINAL COMMUNITY ISSUES FORUM GATHERING

Meth Is Subject Of Town Hall

Lincoln County Counsel Rob Bovett and Lincoln County District 
Attorney Bernice Barnett were the guest speakers for the final 2005 
meeting of the Community Issues Forum of South Lincoln County.

Their two-hour presentation on Oct. 27 at Waldport City Hall offered 
specific local data indicating the number of active methamphetamine 
labs has been dramatically reduced by changes in the accessibility of 
over-the-counter cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, but the 
actual use of this deadly drug is on the rise.

Statistics indicate first-time users are not only younger, but 
adolescent females are among the fastest growing population. Because 
meth is inexpensive to purchase, it is highly attractive to youths 
who may not realize the almost immediate addictive consequences of 
trying it "just once."

Methamphetamine use is growing in popularity at an amazing rate and 
crossing all socio-economic lines, Bovette and Barnett said. Not all 
meth users are easily identifiable; as they can and do appear to lead 
relatively normal lives at least for a while. Those most tragically 
affected by this epidemic are the children of addicts, and their 
increasing numbers are overwhelming the foster care system. Often 
these children have already suffered from abuse, neglect, and 
abandonment by parents so caught up in their enslavement to drugs 
that they forget all else, including their babies.

As this plague continues to grow, grandparent-headed households are 
among the fastest growing segment in our society, and this statistic 
was borne out by concerns shared in the local audience. Another facet 
of the effects of meth on local communities is the rising number of 
employers dealing with drugs in the workplace, and the need for 
policies and procedures to prevent and/or address drug abuse among employees.

A point clearly made by Bovette and Barnett at the Community Issues 
Forum event was that in order to address the burgeoning number of 
meth-related cases flooding the court system, more funding and jail 
space are crucial in addition to alternative rehabilitative options.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman