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There has been plenty of public hand-wringing over Nevada County's methamphetamine problem as the human toll has risen in recent years .
Tonight, a town hall meeting is aimed at truly making a difference.
The event, broadcast live on KVMR 89.5 FM, will be held at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley.
"It was time for the recovery community to address the situation," said Angel Bojorquez, a former drug addict and KVMR disc jockey who will produce the broadcast.
"We know the effect, but nobody wants to talk about the cause."
Tonight, the goal is to find ways to tackle the causes and start pushing meth abuse out of the community.
"When you have an epidemic, who do you call?" Bojorquez said. "You call the specialists."
Those specialists will sit on the panel for the meeting, and they all deal with the reality of meth use almost daily. They will include:
• Warren Daniels and Jim Burnett of the Community Recovery Resources group, which helps people with alcohol and drug problems start new lives.
• Bob Rogers, a former addict and member of the recovery group's alumni association.
• Steve Mason, who handles adult drug court cases through the probation department and served 30 years with the sheriff's office.
• Richard Wilcox, the attorney who deals with drug court rehabilitation cases for the county's public defender's office.
"We need to educate the community," Wilcox said. "We need to let kids know what they're doing."
Using meth, he said, is ingesting a poison that often lands the users in the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital emergency room.
The town hall will help the public learn how to help friends struggling through addiction or how users can escape the destructive cycle of meth themselves.
KVMR news director and recovered addict Mike Thornton will host the program.
"I was a dope fiend myself, so I know a lot about this," Thornton said.
"I'm hoping people will come out who have drug problems and call in (with questions for the program)."
While the dark aspects of addiction are often the most visible, the forum also will share insights into what's actually helping, Daniels said.
"There's been a lot of gloom and doom going on with meth in Nevada County, but there's a lot of success stories out there, too," Daniels said.
"There's a solution to the problem and it starts with awareness and education for employers and the community. We have to get proactive and decide we don't want this in this town."
Daniels said his research found that Nevada County's civil grand jury is the only one in the nation that has highlighted a methamphetamine problem in its community.
In the report issued earlier this year, the grand jury found methamphetamine is costing the county millions in tax dollars and is the cause of many child-abuse and domestic-violence cases.
The grand jury concluded that education and community involvement are the only ways to combat the meth problem. Tonight's meeting is designed to fill that void and get the community off the proverbial dime.
ooo
To contact senior staff writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
Know and Go
• What: Town hall meeting on methamphetamine abuse
• When: 8 p.m. today
• Where: Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main Street, Grass Valley. You can also listen to it live on KVMR 89.5 FM.
Tonight, a town hall meeting is aimed at truly making a difference.
The event, broadcast live on KVMR 89.5 FM, will be held at 8 p.m. at the Center for the Arts in Grass Valley.
"It was time for the recovery community to address the situation," said Angel Bojorquez, a former drug addict and KVMR disc jockey who will produce the broadcast.
"We know the effect, but nobody wants to talk about the cause."
Tonight, the goal is to find ways to tackle the causes and start pushing meth abuse out of the community.
"When you have an epidemic, who do you call?" Bojorquez said. "You call the specialists."
Those specialists will sit on the panel for the meeting, and they all deal with the reality of meth use almost daily. They will include:
• Warren Daniels and Jim Burnett of the Community Recovery Resources group, which helps people with alcohol and drug problems start new lives.
• Bob Rogers, a former addict and member of the recovery group's alumni association.
• Steve Mason, who handles adult drug court cases through the probation department and served 30 years with the sheriff's office.
• Richard Wilcox, the attorney who deals with drug court rehabilitation cases for the county's public defender's office.
"We need to educate the community," Wilcox said. "We need to let kids know what they're doing."
Using meth, he said, is ingesting a poison that often lands the users in the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital emergency room.
The town hall will help the public learn how to help friends struggling through addiction or how users can escape the destructive cycle of meth themselves.
KVMR news director and recovered addict Mike Thornton will host the program.
"I was a dope fiend myself, so I know a lot about this," Thornton said.
"I'm hoping people will come out who have drug problems and call in (with questions for the program)."
While the dark aspects of addiction are often the most visible, the forum also will share insights into what's actually helping, Daniels said.
"There's been a lot of gloom and doom going on with meth in Nevada County, but there's a lot of success stories out there, too," Daniels said.
"There's a solution to the problem and it starts with awareness and education for employers and the community. We have to get proactive and decide we don't want this in this town."
Daniels said his research found that Nevada County's civil grand jury is the only one in the nation that has highlighted a methamphetamine problem in its community.
In the report issued earlier this year, the grand jury found methamphetamine is costing the county millions in tax dollars and is the cause of many child-abuse and domestic-violence cases.
The grand jury concluded that education and community involvement are the only ways to combat the meth problem. Tonight's meeting is designed to fill that void and get the community off the proverbial dime.
ooo
To contact senior staff writer Dave Moller, e-mail davem@theunion.com or call 477-4237.
Know and Go
• What: Town hall meeting on methamphetamine abuse
• When: 8 p.m. today
• Where: Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main Street, Grass Valley. You can also listen to it live on KVMR 89.5 FM.
