Pubdate: Mon, 24 Jul 2006
Source: Courier, The (Russellville, AR)
Copyright:  Russellville Newspapers, Inc
Contact:  http://www.couriernews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3265
Author: Brooke Vermillion, Reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

CONQUERING WORLD OF DRUGS BEGINS AT HOME

County law enforcement officials across 44 states recently reported 
methamphetamine as the No. 1 drug problem in their county, according 
to a survey released last Tuesday by the National Association of 
Counties (NACo).

Almost half of the counties surveyed reported meth has caused more 
problems than cocaine, marijuana, and heroin combined.

But despite proposals from the Bush administration to eliminate the 
grant that funds drug task forces around the country, local and 
national public officials have proved they are willing to take a stand.

Last week, Pope County Sheriff Jay Winters traveled to Birmingham, 
Ala., to share his thoughts at a regional conference of how the 
United States can better deal with the methamphetamine epidemic.

Winters was selected by the executive director of the Association of 
Arkansas Counties to represent the state's county officials in the 
regional conference of the National Alliance for Model State Drug Laws.

The alliance is a resource for governors, state legislators, 
attorneys general, drug and alcohol professionals, community leaders, 
and others striving for comprehensive and effective state drug and 
alcohol laws, policies and programs, according to its Web site.

But Winters said the 14 representatives from Arkansas, which included 
the state drug director and directors of state drug treatment and 
prevention facilities, met with representatives of the 13 states in 
the southeastern region mainly to look at improving existing laws and 
forming new ones to assist in the battle against meth.

He said four regional meetings are expected to take place before a 
presentation is made to the U.S. Congress later this year.

Expanding The Laws

Winters said the officials discussed combating meth problems on the 
local and national levels, along with providing free solutions and 
those that would require funding. "Not to brag, but I think the 
Arkansas delegation was very energetic, knowledgeable, and discussed 
some real common sense stuff," Winters said. "We didn't walk in there 
and say 'Fill our pockets full of money,' but instead really hit on 
some issues that would just require us to work -- like our (River 
Valley) Meth Project. We put our own time into that, it's nobody's 
job to do it."

For example, Arkansas and Louisiana representatives met at the 
meeting, Winters explained, and learned Louisiana's state drug laws 
are not as strict as Arkansas', meaning drug manufacturers in 
Arkansas counties that border Louisiana would have easy access to 
purchase meth ingredients.

Winters said the states requested stricter laws concerning the drug, 
which would not require any additional funding.

He said the delegation also discussed minor changes to the current 
legislation that restricts the sale of cold medicines that contain 
precursor meth ingredients.

"We were able to get a law to put ephedrines behind the counter, but 
at the time, we did not include gelcaps because they were not easy to 
use in the manufacture process," Winters said. "But now they have 
figured out a way to use the gelcaps, so we now need to expand the laws."

Tracking The Meth-Makers

For nearly a year, Pope County officials have communicated with a 
company in Kentucky that can link any number of pharmacies together 
to track purchases of certain meth-manufacture precursors. The 
company is also known for setting up programs such as the Victim 
Notification System and the Justice Exchange System and taking them 
nation-wide.

"We have found that right now, people can stop at Wal-Mart, 
Walgreens, or any other pharmacy in Russellville, to buy ephedrine, 
then they can continue on down (Interstate) 40 into Pottsville or 
Atkins to buy more," Winters said. "And right now we have no 
realistic way of tracking them."

But he added Arkansas legislators have been working diligently to 
appropriate the $500,000 needed to link every Arkansas pharmacy so 
that law enforcement officials could monitor purchases.

Across The Borders

But Winters explained the delegation understood the drug problem in 
the United States could not be controlled by simply changing American 
laws. He said because an estimated 95 percent of illegal drugs come 
from either Mexico or Canada, federal agreements need to be reached.

"We've got to look at the big picture," he said. "Where does it start 
and where does it end up? What can we do to prevent it from coming 
here? ... We have to make people understand what we're dealing with."

On the Net:
www.naco.org
www.natlalliance.org
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman