Methamphetamine is the most dangerous drug our state has ever confronted. Meth poisons our children, devastates our neighborhoods and scars our environment.
On Thursday, the country marked National Meth Awareness Day – a national wake-up call that should ring extra loud in our state, which faces one of the most severe meth problems in the country.
Meth is more than just the latest drug fad. It’s more addictive than heroin, relatively cheap, and readily available in the cities, suburbs and even the rural communities of our state.
If you aren’t frightened about meth, then you need to learn more about it. Federal statistics indicate that more meth is available at a lower price here than in any other state. More babies than ever are being born addicted to meth. The cost of meth to our criminal justice system, foster care system and public health system is truly astronomical.
In the Attorney General’s Office, we are particularly impacted by the damage that meth causes to the children of users. Our attorneys represent the interests of literally thousands of children who are abused and neglected by their meth-addicted parents.
We also provide support to county prosecutors who need assistance in prosecuting cases against meth dealers and meth manufacturers. The amount of meth being imported from Mexico continues to increase, presenting a huge challenge for law enforcement.
But there is also good news that should give us hope for the future and inspire us to continue the fight against meth. In every community, there are committed professionals and volunteers who are dedicated to protecting our kids, our neighborhoods and our environment.
There are fewer meth labs in our state than in previous years. That is very good news, because the chemicals used to manufacture meth and the by-products of the cooking process are so dangerous. The professionals who clean up contaminated sites – often where children lived and played a few hours or days before – wear moon suits to protect themselves from these toxic substances.
Knowing that the battle against meth must be fought on a large scale with many allies, last year I convened the “Operation: Allied Against Meth” task force, which included police, prosecutors, treatment providers, elected officials and community activists.
We developed a comprehensive set of recommendations and helped pass a new law that provides millions of dollars in new funding to local law enforcement and new rural drug task forces. The law also emphasizes helping addicts overcome their addiction. New medications and new treatments are being developed that may lead to higher recovery rates for meth addicts.
Finally, education and prevention are the most effective strategies of all. Only by convincing our kids that meth will ruin their lives will we ultimately end this scourge.
Since May of last year, my office has partnered with Lead On America, a community-based organization that was founded in Snohomish County to educate young people about the dangers of meth, and to help neighborhoods mobilize against meth in their midst. We have made joint presentations at 30 high schools and middle schools throughout the state and reached 20,000 students.
Other groups are stepping forward to deliver the same message, and our goal must be to keep reaching out until every child hears and understands the dangers of meth.
But the outreach effort can’t stop with school kids. The average age of first use of meth has steadily fallen as teenagers and young adults have become a major target of the meth dealers.
As important as it is for us to keep children safe from meth, the battle isn’t won when they turn 18 or 21. National Meth Awareness Day should serve as a focal point for ongoing discussions with adult friends and family members.
There’s no easy way to call an assembly for adults, as we do for students in our schools. It will require a greater effort and more messengers. We all must play a part.
We can win the battle against meth. But only after we recognize the severity of the problem, and commit to work together to solve it. That’s the real value of National Meth Awareness Day – to provide the wake-up call. For our kids’ sake, it’s a call we dare not ignore.
Rob McKenna is Washington’s attorney general.
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