Pubdate: Mon, 07 Mar 2005
Source: Daily Cardinal (U of WI, Madison, Edu)
Copyright: 2005 The Daily Cardinal Newspaper Corporation
Contact:  http://www.cardinal.wisc.edu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/712
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

MAKING A MOVE ON METH

Methamphetamine addiction has become commonplace in the state of Wisconsin. 
Use is rampant in the northern and western parts of the state, and law 
enforcement officials have predicted that it will become easy to obtain 
statewide within three years. In fact, a methamphetamine lab was recently 
discovered in Madison.

Understandably, state officials would like to get the problem under control 
before it reaches epidemic proportions. There is legislation in the works 
that would limit access to pseudoephedrine, a main component in many 
leading cold medicines but also the active ingredient in meth itself.

Officials are exploring two options. The first is that pharmacists 
themselves hand out products containing pseudoephedrine. The second is 
putting a cap on the amount of pseudoephedrine-containing products a 
consumer could buy at one time.

Both options would create obstacles for meth suppliers. Either measure 
would be welcome by virtually all sectors. Even Pfizer-which makes Sudafed, 
a cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine-supports the passage of such 
measures.

However, though restricting access to pseudoephedrine might help curb meth 
production, it does not address the root cause of the problem. 
Methamphetamines have been called the "rural crack" because often users are 
poor and see little prospect for their futures. In order to decrease meth 
addiction, it is important to pay attention to those who would be most 
likely to use and create programs that would deter its use.

Furthermore, the way the government approaches drug education could be a 
contributing factor to the surge in meth use. Children are taught, through 
programs like DARE, that all drugs will have the same detrimental effect. 
When they discover that, a drink or a joint does not carry with it the 
horrible consequences they have been taught, their attitude toward more 
serious drugs such as meth might become lax as well.

But meth can cause far more harm than marijuana, alcohol and even "harder" 
drugs such as cocaine. One hit of meth can cause a permanent deterioration 
in a person's brain capacity, and addiction is highly possible even for 
first-time users.

In order to prevent a methamphetamine epidemic, Wisconsin must address the 
root causes of addiction. Stop-gap measures such as those proposed might 
temporarily decrease supply, but until the causes of meth addiction are 
addressed, little can be done to prevent its spread.
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