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66 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, March 15, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 12, 2005 Medford leaders take on meth problem Public meeting highlighted drug’s devastating effects on families, communities By JACK MORAN Mail Tribune Before joining community leaders Friday at a meeting in Medford covering methamphetamine use and production in Oregon, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden sent a staffer to the supermarket to buy a few everyday products used to manufacture the destructive drug. "Can you imagine saying, ‘I need some Drano so I can snort it?’" Walden asked the crowd of about 200 that gathered at the Medford City Council chambers for the afternoon meeting. "This stuff is toxic and corrosive," he said. "(Methamphetamine) destroys the mind. ... It ruins lives and ruins families." Walden, R-Hood River, used a bottle of Drano, some isopropyl alcohol and other meth-making ingredients to make the point that anyone could go home and make a batch of the stimulant after a single trip to the store. "No one (at the supermarket) questioned it" when the items were purchased, Walden said. Advertisement He added that a store clerk apologized when asking the aide for identification before handing over a box of cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine, methamphetamine’s main ingredient. A new Oregon rule requiring shoppers to show ID before purchasing cold remedies with pseudoephedrine or ephedrine is the latest step in curbing the manufacture of the drug. But participants of Friday’s meeting said lawmakers and community leaders need to do much more before gaining the upper hand in the battle against methamphetamine. "We have a huge problem on our hands," said Hank Collins, director of Jackson County Health and Human Services. "Meth wrecks lives. It’s definitely impacting our health services." Collins and others on Friday’s panel called for increased funding for drug-treatment programs, which have seen budget reductions in recent years. "Treatment is the most effective response to the meth problem," said Rita Sullivan, director of OnTrack, a local drug-treatment center. "The challenge of treating people with this addiction is huge ... and the demand for treatment has gone crazy." Law enforcement officials said that while they also see the value in treating drug addicts, imposing harsh penalties for people involved in methamphetamine use and production is also crucial. "I’m a firm believer in treatment," said Drug Enforcement Administration agent Ken Magee. "I’m also a firm believer in locking up offenders." Jackson County sheriff’s Lt. Dewey Patten, head of the county Narcotics Enforcement Team, told the crowd that in 2004, about two-thirds of the drug force’s investigations involved methamphetamine. JACNET seized 15 meth labs last year. Over the past decade, Patten said, methamphetamine has "taken over as the drug of choice" in Jackson County. Many meth users resort to other types of crime to support their addiction, he said. A team of local police officials, treatment providers, media and others was recently formed to combat the use of meth in Jackson County. The group met last month and is now working to implement a comprehensive strategy aimed at lessening the drug’s grip on Southern Oregon. As for Walden, the Medford "summit" meeting was the first of seven he has scheduled this month in his congressional district, which covers much of the southern and eastern parts of the state. He said that while District 2 includes only about 20 percent of Oregon’s population, it had 35 percent of the state’s meth-lab seizures in 2004. "We’ve witnessed an alarming increase in use and production," Walden said. "It’s easy to see why this drug is truly a menace. ... It’s the most insidious drug out there." Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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