Sami Grimes
Staff Writer

With an introduction by State Sen. Michele Bachmann and an opening prayer, a forum on the local realities of methamphetamine was opened April 8th, in the Forest Lake High School Auditorium.

Bachmann and Rep. Ray Vandeveer hosted the forum in an effort to raise the awareness of the community about the impact methamphetamine has had on surrounding areas.

A panel of authorities spent the morning presenting various facts to a captive audience of about 25 concerned community members.

First to speak was Tim OíMalley, assistant superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, whose presentation left many listeners shaking their heads in disbelief.

ìThere is no single solution to methamphetamine...it is a team effort,î he said. ìWith the help of Ray Vandeveer and others, there has been strong but necessary proposals in the legislature,î he added, referring to a plan to toughen state laws on the use of methamphetamine.

The bill currently being considered in the House would place restrictions on the sale of ingredients such as pseudoephedrine, which is an ingredient of some cold medications but also a core ingredient in meth.

Taking the podium afterward was Cinda Lutz, demand reduction coordinator of the Minneapolis/St. Paul District Office. In an effort to limit redundancy, Lutz emphasized more on the issue and discussed what is being done by local and state officials to cauterize the spread of the epidemic that is infiltrating the surrounding area.

By referencing the experience western states have had with meth, she urged community members to be ìconcerned proactive neighborsî and to ìbe aware the problem exists and be willing to do something about it.î

Others to speak included ISD 831 School Board member Joe Grafft, emergency medical services manager at the Office of the Chancellor - Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; Forest Lake Chief of Police Clark Quiring; Washington County Sheriff Steve Pott; and Anoka County Sheriff Bruce Andersohn.

Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah and 1st Assistant Washington County Attorney Susan Harris also took turns emphasizing the importance of community involvement in limiting the impact that meth has on the area.

Other comments

Panel member Nancy Norman spoke on her personal experience with prosecuting offenders. ìIt reaches much more beyond the drug prosecution,î she said. Many of the present community members listened attentively as she cited various examples of how meth has affected Washington and Anoka counties.

ìPeople I have seen come in are people who are married, with good jobs, and a life.î Statements such as that are proof that the epidemic isnít localized to one demographic of people.

Al Hurtley, a concerned parent who has worked in Linwood the past four years getting the word out on meth, gave a brief commentary on the issue.

ìWe had a problem in Linwood township, and we still have a problem...and that problem is meth,î he said. ìSome people didnít even know about meth,î he said, which produced surprised looks on the faces of the listeners. He went on to praise local authorities but acknowledged that ìthey [law enforcement] canít do it aloneî.

After the panel finished presenting, the community was encouraged to ask questions. Vandeveer then closed the forum shortly thereafter.

Linn Schwiebert, a licensed school nurse with the district, was one of the people in the audience taking in the presentations.

ìI came to get more information. I wanted to get an idea of what to be on the lookout for,î she said.

ìWe donít have enough information, and I feel itís important to be up to date with what is out there,î said Matt Howard, a restorative justice counselor for the Youth Service Bureau. Howard, who teaches chemical awareness classes for older youth, was one of many there for the same purpose ó to be enlightened.

Bachmann and Vandeveer said they would also like to urge everyone in the area to contact local and state lawmakers and voice support for the bill mentioned earlier to restrict access to precursor chemicals (such as the aforementioned pseudoephedrine).

Donít know who your state legislators are or wish to find contact information? Go to http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/Districtfinder.asp or call (651) 296-2146.

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Forest Lake Times
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Forest Lake, MN 55025
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