Commentary; Posted: 6/16/04

Meth fight requires many fronts

Myra Peterson
Guest Columnist

The production and use of methamphetamine is a growing problem throughout Minnesota. For Washington County, meth is a multi-level problem that challenges law enforcement, human services, community health, and environmental services. The impact of meth on county services is nothing short of shocking and its cost to taxpayers will be staggering.

Why is meth so dangerous?

In a recent county board workshop, several county departments reported meth is a different kind of drug unlike anything they have seen or dealt with in the past.

According to law enforcement, corrections, and human services officials, there are several factors that place meth in a category separate from all other drugs, alcohol, or tobacco:

ïMeth is easily accessible. Meth can be manufactured in cars or apartment buildings at low cost with common household equipment and over-the-counter products, such as paint thinner, cold capsules, drain cleaner, and coffee filters.

ïMeth is highly addictive. Unlike the meth that was available throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, todayís meth is available in highly pure forms. Physical addiction can occur very quickly. According to the Washington County Sheriff, there are no casual meth users.

ïMeth use results in rapid deterioration of health. The long-term effects of meth use can include bone loss, malnutrition, liver, kidney, and lung damage. Psychiatric problems can occur within a few years of initial use.

ïMeth is toxic to the environment and innocent bystanders. Meth production and its toxic byproducts endanger the health of children and frail adults, placing them at risk for severe respiratory, neural, and other health problems.

Methís popularity is also much greater now than it was in previous decades. In the 1960s, very few people experimented with meth. Today, meth is used by many segments of the population, including urban, suburban, and rural residents. Trends indicate that a growing number of youth are experimenting with meth.

Consider these statistics: In 1993, there were three meth labs seized in Minnesota. In 2003, there were 402 reported seizures. In 1993, there were no seized meth labs in Washington County. In 2003, there were 13 seizures.

And meth is no longer sold by small operators. Traditionally, the suppliers of meth throughout the United States were gangs and other trafficking groups.

Although these groups continue to produce and distribute meth, organized crime drug groups are beginning to dominate meth trafficking in the United States. These organizations are producing unprecedented quantities of high-purity meth on a regular basis, and they already control well-established cocaine, heroin, and marijuana distribution networks throughout the United States.

Meth use results in increased costs for investigation, jail and county attorney time, child and adult protection, health screening, and environmental cleanup.

The impact of meth on the child welfare system is staggering. Children of meth users and manufacturers are often abused, neglected, and exposed to dangerous people and deadly fumes. Babies born to women who use meth can have lifelong health and learning problems.

Children in a meth home may face a frightening existence while their parents are on a high. When mom and dad crash, the kids have no one to watch them, to feed them, to get them to school. Meth users frequently donít consider their own needs, let alone the needs of their children.

In Washington County, approximately 30 percent of all child protection assessments involve meth use by family members as the primary reason for intervention. Another 25 percent of the assessments have meth involvement as a secondary factor.

Meth means tax dollars are spent cleaning up after the drug and the people who use it. Meth means expensive human services, police work, prisons, treatment programs and health care.

Washington County is aware of the issues at hand and is tackling the problem head-on. The truth is much of the burden of dealing with meth falls on the shoulders of the county, and there is a serious question of how weíll be able to pay for the high cost to combat meth and its wake of destruction.

Whether there is state money or not to deal with this problem, county expenditures due to meth will continue to grow exponentially.

No one agency is in charge of fighting meth, nor is it a law enforcement fight alone. Due to the destructive nature of the drug and the effects on its users, local government and community leaders must work together in fighting production and use.

Counties, cities, and townships must collaborate in the fight against meth because it is a problem that won't be easily solved. Successfully meeting the meth challenge will require communities to come together and seek solutions.

Special thanks to the Association of Minnesota Counties for providing information that appears in this editorial.

Commissioner Peterson represents District 4 and may be contacted at (651) 458-0923 or by e-mail at mr8284@qwest.net.

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