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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 14, 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 April 14, 2005 County unveils meth-fighting plan By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune County officials will consider funding to overhaul treatment for methamphetamine addicts, provide intervention for middle-schoolers and launch a public awareness campaign — all to combat the destructive drug. Projects proposed by the county’s meth task force initially will cost about $280,000, said Hank Collins, director of Jackson County Health and Human Services. Collins’ department will chip in $100,000 in surplus funds and will seek an additional $100,000 from the county budget next Thursday, he said. The task force will seek support from nonprofit groups to make up the remainder, Collins added. If the budget committee supports it, county funding for the projects would be a one-time contribution from the general fund, said Dave Kanner, deputy county administrator. The county does not expect to have money for it in future years, he added. "This is a proposed one-year commitment," Kanner said. Created last year to find ways to combat the rising tide of local meth use, the task force has identified specific strategies to accomplish within two years. One includes an intensive, integrated approach to rehabilitation that will allow 20 to 25 families to create their own plans for kicking meth use. That program requires an estimated $150,000 and an additional $50,000 for a case manager. Advertisement Experts say meth addiction requires a longer recovery period. Users almost universally are mentally impaired and suffer from psychosis and depression. The lack of safe housing and employment contributes to drug use and a life of crime, officials said. Local police have made more meth-related arrests and seized larger quantities of the illegal stimulant in the past year. Meth is blamed for overburdening public resources, including jails, courts, social services and schools. Intervention at the middle- school level is another target area as more and more teens report using meth, Collins said. Of the county’s nine school districts, only Eagle Point offers instruction specific to meth, he added. Expanding that effort would cost about $30,000, the task force estimated. "We’re now seeing 16- and 17-year-old addicts," Collins said. "We continue to be amazed at the people in our community who are still not aware of how big a problem this is." Another strategy involves a public education campaign that could include cooperation with local media and would cost approximately $50,000, the task force said. The final goal — administrative support for the task force — has no funding under the proposal. Open for public comment, county budget hearings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the County Courthouse auditorium. Deliberations will be held in the auditorium at 9 a.m. Friday, April 22, when public testimony will not be heard. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, 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. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s