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Thursday, June 26, 2008

Editorial: Get Meth Users Into Treatment



      I've lost my sense, I've lost control, I've lost my mind. — “Speed Kills” by Agent Orange
    It's no secret that methamphetamine is a scourge on our communities. The drug, sometimes known as speed or crank, is easy to manufacture, cheap to buy and extremely addictive.
    Not only does it destroy the lives of its users and their families, but it drains community resources. Jarmaine McCriston describes the life of a meth user in simple terms — it all comes down to getting the next fix. And many meth addicts will do anything to get that next fix.
    Poor communities have been fighting meth for more than a decade with increased law enforcement and treatment programs. But that is difficult to do with limited resources. Torrance County and its municipalities should be commended for the small steps they have taken, but the battle seems daunting.
    How can you fight the lures of meth?
    According to one recovering addict, a meth high makes you feel “like you're the Incredible Hulk.” Do a line or inject the drug and the troubles of poverty disappear. You don't have to think. You don't have to deal with problems. You don't have to worry about how to feed your family. The price is a brain that becomes damaged to the point you have no memories and no emotions. Your brain eventually gets to the point where it makes up things, but one craving remains — the need for meth.
    The Torrance County Sheriff's Department reports that nine meth labs have been dismantled in the past six months. But the department acknowledges the labs are getting smaller and more difficult to find.
    The county, along with state District Court, has started a program to channel meth users into treatment instead of jail. The yearlong program accepts clients only after they've been sentenced. Without grants, the program would not exist.
    McChriston, who has been clean for 16 months, says treatment programs are the best method to fight meth.
    Right now, the hard part is getting those who need the treatment into programs. Some may think that a meth user is only doing damage to himself or herself, but in truth the whole community pays for this destructive behavior.
   

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