Other Voices: Education key to winning meth war

Over the last few weeks, I have learned much about meth and a few of the many issues surrounding this devastating addiction. I've learned about the challenges of recovery, dealing with children, law enforcement, the court system and health issues.

It's been enlightening, to say the least, for a person like me who grew up in the '60s and '70s feeling fairly savvy about drugs, wondering why this one is so different.

I've learned all this through a series of shows United Way of Nevada County is taping for NCTV called "Community Focus: Moving in on Meth." The program started four weeks ago and features a different topic each week. It will continue through January. The first show reviewed the Grand Jury findings released earlier this year in its report ("The Price You Pay for Meth and What you don't know can hurt you; Methamphetamine in Nevada County"). The costs of incarceration and probation are staggering - over $24,000 to prosecute, defend, incarcerate and monitor probation of one person. Based on the Grand Jury figures, that means approximately $58 per day per inmate.

But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Over the last few weeks, I've interviewed recovering addicts who educated me on the struggle to stay clean; law enforcement officers who repeatedly arrest drug offenders for theft, assault and fraud, in addition to drug use; and grandparents with grandchildren they've raised since they were babies.

I've listened to Child Advocate volunteers talk about children caught in the child protective services systems who deal with judges, lawyers and social workers as a part of their everyday lives. And I've learned about the successes of programs such as Drug Court and the promise of programs in other counties.

But probably the greatest revelation for me so far was learning from law enforcement and health professionals about the social development of a person who takes meth.

An addict's development stops at the age the addiction begins. This means that a 38-year-old recovering addict who started at 17 and who has children may not be prepared to accept the responsibility of parenthood or have any of the other life skills society expects of a 38-year-old. Just this simple fact has huge ramifications for any county.

There is so much more to learn about why this drug is dangerous and highly addictive.

We've all heard about how it only takes once or twice and you're hooked. Meth affects the central nervous system. It results in hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, malnutrition and severe depression. Chronic users develop sores on their bodies, have low-weight babies and may develop fatal kidney and lung disease, brain or liver damage, and permanent mental health problems. Taking into consideration all the additional health-care costs alone to the community, the additional $2 per person per day for inpatient care seems like a bargain.

So my interviews will continue. They will feature many other aspects of this addiction: child addicts, food and housing issues, environmental issues, recovery programs, workplace drug testing programs, mental health issues, solutions from other counties, where to go for help, and finally, what steps we, as a community, can take to secure a safe and healthy community.

Previous shows can be viewed at www.nevadacountytv.org. For current shows, visit NCTV's listing in The Union for weekly show times. If you think of any other topics or have a meth story to tell, e-mail me at director@uwnc.org. Because the better educated we are about this subject, the better equipped we'll be to face the challenges and find solutions.

<I>Lindy Beatie is the executive director of the United Way of Nevada County.</I>