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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 28, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 12, 2005 Forum seeks ways to beat meth Task force asks for help from wide range of community sources to ramp up efforts By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Stemming the tide of methamphetamine in Jackson County will be the focus of a community forum for more than 60 people working in various fields. The county’s methamphetamine task force is looking for help from major employers, retailers, teachers, religious leaders and media in addition to government workers and officials. They were asked to a Thursday morning meeting to identify priorities in drug treatment, prevention, public safety, community awareness and family stabilization. "We’re not going to do much with meth unless we can involve a lot of people with it," said Carin Niebuhr, alcohol and drug program manager for Jackson County Health and Human Services. A mainstream drug in the Rogue Valley for the past 20 years, the meth problem has only worsened as users have started cooking it in small batches with common household chemicals, experts say. Meth is the culprit for overcrowded prisons and jails, environmental pollution and an overburdened criminal justice system while it consumes tax resources meant for schools and basic human services, health officials say. Advertisement Medford police made 1,375 arrests in methamphetamine-related cases last year. The number increased since 2003 by about 100 such arrests, according to statistics gathered by the Medford Police Department. Officers also have seized more meth recently than in years past. Agents with the county’s narcotics task force (JACNET) in 2003 confiscated about 50 pounds of meth, a record quantity. Medford police took 11.6 pounds of the illegal drug off the street last year compared to slightly more than 10 pounds in 2003. The difference is equivalent to seizing an additional 1,500 "hits" of the drug, said Medford police Lt. Tim George. Meth’s potency is increasing as police see more of its "crystal" form bought and sold in Jackson County, George said. Meth use landed 901 addicts, including 54 youths, in Jackson County treatment programs in 2003. Meth use by adults also is the likely cause for the county’s high percentage of children living in harm’s way compared to statewide averages. The meth task force’s far-reaching approach to addressing illegal drugs is new to the county. County officials created the task force last year to target meth in all the areas affected by its use. Gov. Ted Kulongoski also has called for a statewide assault on meth. No funding has been set aside to target meth, Niebuhr said. The task force, instead, will look at redirecting existing resources to make them more effective, Niebuhr said. Community representatives will be asked to implement a program or action within the next year that will have an impact on methamphetamine use. Acknowledging that meth will be a long-term scourge, a year is a reasonable period of time to put a plan in place, Niebuhr said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers