Pubdate: Sun, 29 Jan 2006
Source: Record-Courier (Gardnerville, NV)
Copyright: 2006 The Record-Courier
Contact:  http://www.recordcourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1353
Author: Sheila Gardner 
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

COMMUNITY GATHERS TO FIGHT DRUG

More than 250 people - schoolchildren to senior  citizens - packed the
fellowship hall at Carson Valley  United Methodist Church on Thursday
to learn just how  invasive methamphetamine is in Carson Valley.

"We need to link our hands together to protect our  children from this
dangerously addictive drug," said  Frank Grayshield, representing the
Washoe Tribe of  Nevada and California.

"We're really involved in an effort to create  healthier, safer
communities and we can't do it alone,"  he said.

"Let's Talk About Methamphetamine, An Evening for  Family and
Friends," was sponsored by the Partnership  of Community Resources,
the Douglas County Sheriff's  Office and the Washoe Tribe.

"We don't want to wait until there are drug dealers on  every corner,"
said Cheryl Bricker, executive director  of the partnership. "We
embrace the concept of the  community coming together."

With the sheriff's office Street Enforcement Team,  Douglas County
deputies and Tri-Net Narcotics Task  Force making almost daily drug
arrests, community  members said they were concerned.

"It's not just a law enforcement problem, it's a social  problem.
That's why you're here," said Rory Planeta, a  task force
investigator.

He took the audience through the highs and lows of  methamphetamine
addiction, explaining how easy it is to  acquire the drug and the
ultimate cost to the addict  and the community.

An addict with a $100-a-day habit can be responsible  for up to
$365,000 in stolen property a year to finance  the addiction, Planeta
said.

"Our area is a distribution hub for Indiana, Florida  and Wyoming with
our proximity to highways 395, 80 and  50," he said.

Planeta ended his presentation with a video showing  babies and
toddlers being taken out of homes where  methamphetamine was
manufactured.

"I've seen this video 50 times and it bothers me every  time," he
said. "I have five kids and five  grandchildren. We've got to stop
this stuff.

"People ask me why I worked narcotics so long," said  the veteran law
enforcement officer. "It's the kids."

Dawn Hare, a counselor at Scarselli Elementary School,  is a licensed
drug and alcohol counselor.

"The problem with methamphetamine addiction is that  from the moment
you are addicted, there is no easy way  out. It takes two years for
the brain to recover.  That's two years of depression, hard work,
crying on  your bed," she said.

"This is not a 28-day treatment. People go out, come  in, go out and
come in. That's something we need to get  across to health insurance
companies."

She encouraged participants to ask retail stores to  store
over-the-counter cold medication and other  readily available
methamphetamine ingredients behind  the counter.

"We do have a lot of power," she said.

Doug Swalm is in charge of Douglas County's Alternative  Sentencing
program which strives to keep people with  drug convictions or
misdemeanor offenses under  supervision but out of jail.

"Without treatment, it's just not going to work," he 
said.

Meth addicts who are arrested generally spend 30 days  in Douglas
County Jail to detox.

"It takes 30 to 40 days to purge the system," he said.  "They need
rest, medical attention and food and they  can get all that in jail."

From there, Swalm places inmates in residential  programs in Fallon
and Lake Tahoe for a 28-day  intensive treatment and up to six months
in  transitional programs.

"If they run, violate their probation or use drugs, it  starts all
over again. There's quite an incentive to  stay with the program,"
Swalm said.

Sheriff Ron Pierini was blunt in his assessment of the  extent of
methamphetamine use in Douglas County.

"It's out of control," he said. "In our area, when you  arrest people,
there is somebody waiting in line to  take their spot."

He urged residents to be vigilant in their own families  and in their
neighborhoods.

"We need to make a tough stand," he said. "We need you  to report what
needs to be reported.

"We have resources. We're here to help you. We want to  help you solve
this issue with us. This has got to  stop."

Mary Wolery, a school counselor and a partnership  director, said she
was overwhelmed by the turnout.

"It tells me people are concerned," she said. "People  are asking
questions, this is where we build the  momentum."

She invited residents to join the partnership's  methamphetamine
advisory task force.

"That's where the real work gets done," she said.

The task force meets monthly and members include  parents, other
community members and representatives of  law enforcement, substance
abuse treatment, businesses  and schools.

"Everybody is working together to come at this problem.  We need more
resources, we need more treatment," she  said.

Ten-year-old Nathan Tripp of Carson City attended with  his parents
Michael and Lupita.

"Methamphetamine is dangerous to the world," he said.  "It needs to be
stopped so we can have a safer world."

Michael Tripp said the information gave him a  heightened
awareness.

"I knew it was a bad problem, but now it's more  apparent, the
trafficking, what's going on in the  neighborhood, in people's
families," he said.

Adelina Osorio and Alfred Durant Sr., brought their  10-year-old son
Alfred Jr. from Woodfords.

"We came for the education, so my son knows right from  wrong," she
said.

Alfred, a fifth grader at Diamond Valley School, said  the subject of
methamphetamine doesn't come up often  among his friends.

"It depends on who he hangs out with," Osorio said. "We  watch out
very closely who he is with."

Durant said the information would be educational for  the
family.

"It will teach us how to cope if it ever happens and  what symptoms to
look for," he said.

Emmanuel Drake, 20, of Smith Valley, and Ashley  Borrelli, 16, of
Gardnerville, attended the forum at  the invitation of Pastor Leo
Kruger of Valley Christian  Fellowship.

"I think I have a lot of knowledge, but this  information will help me
be more aware of the people  around me," Ashley said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin