Pubdate: Fri, 08 Dec 2006
Source: Yale Herald, The (CT Edu)
Copyright: 2006 The Yale Herald.
Contact:  http://www.yaleherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2791
Author: Michael Kim

CONNECTICUT LEADERS FIGHT TO CRACK DOWN ON CRANK

As far as Governor Jodi Rell is concerned, new laws are  needed to 
keep methamphetamine use in Connecticut to a  minimum. While towns 
across the country struggle  because of a meth epidemic, Rell hopes 
to quell meth  use in Connecticut before it takes a tight hold.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug commonly  known as meth, 
crystal meth, ice, speed, or crank.  Unlike marijuana, cocaine, and 
heroin, meth does not  come from plants but is produced in 
laboratories. Meth  is not as prevalent in Connecticut as it is west 
of the  Mississippi, and officials want to make sure it stays  that way.

"There are no methamphetamine users being treated  here," said an 
official at the APT Foundation, a New  Haven based nonprofit 
organization that treats  individuals with substance abuse problems 
in multiple  clinical centers. The official asked not to be named to 
protect the identities of his clients. At the same  time, 
increasingly large quantities of methamphetamine  are being smuggled 
in from Mexico, where it is produced  in mass-scale "superlabs."

"I still believe we need to get tougher laws here in  Connecticut," 
Rell said last Thur., Nov. 30, at the  state Capitol. The governor 
vowed to introduce  legislation to make punishments harsher for those 
that  sell or manufacture methamphetamine. She proposed a  15-year 
prison sentence for first time offenders and a  30-year sentence for 
second time offenders.

Earlier this year, Rell issued a statement that came  down hard on 
existing laws, "We need to get tougher  laws on the books this year 
to send the message that  the sale or possession of this drug will 
land you in  jail." She has succeeded in reclassifying 
the  possession of methamphetamine manufacturing  paraphernalia as a 
Class D felony, punishable by up to  five years in prison. She also 
advocated requiring  pharmacists to keep a log of people who purchase 
cold medications like Sudafed that contain pseudoephedrine  or 
ephedrine, chemical ingredients of methamphetamine.

When asked about the effectiveness of such strong  punishments, Carol 
Meredith, assistant director of the  Prevention and Intervention Unit 
of the Department of  the Connecticut Mental Health and Addiction 
Services,  said enforcement strategies can be a significant 
source  of deterrence.

But not everyone is confident that Rell's policy will  succeed. 
According to Cliff Thornton, a representative  of Efficacy, a 
Connecticut based organization that  advocates legalization of drugs, 
the current aggressive  anti-drug policy is a ploy used by 
politicians.  Instead, the government should acknowledge the presence 
of drugs and regulate their use. "There have been  countless surveys 
that say marijuana is easier for  minors to obtain than alcohol or 
cigarettes," said  Thornton. "We have to bring drugs into the law. We 
must  legalize, medicalize, and decriminalize." Thornton ran  for 
governor of Connecticut under the Green Party  ticket in 2006.

"Has prohibition worked with cannabis, heroin, alcohol,  or crack 
cocaine?" Thornton asked. "Alcohol only came  under control after the 
government lifted prohibition."  Time will tell if Rell's crackdown 
on meth will face  similar roadblocks. 
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