ON OUR STREETS

War On Methamphetamine Fought Right Here At Home

The Oscar-nominated film, "Traffic," left moviegoers horrified, aghast at
the ravages of drug addiction and dumbfounded as to why users would wreak
such havoc on their bodies for brief, artificial happiness. And
undoubtedly, many walked away from the theater with detached relief,
thanking God that the drug war is mainly fought in faraway lands, in seedy
parts of town, away from our manicured lawns and white-picket fences. But
as our weeklong series, "Recipe for ruin," highlighted, a fierce drug
battle is being fought right here in Wichita Falls, and far too many of the
walking wounded wrestle their demons right before our eyes. The series,
reported by the Times Record News, delved into a growing methamphetamine
problem in our midst, the damaging social effects and law-enforcement
tactics to bust meth producers.

Beyond the background information, personal tragedies and criminal
profiles, "Recipe for ruin" came to a disturbing conclusion. We don't have
the answers and, as of yet, no clear, effective solution in sight. Cracking
down hard on meth producers would be a logical solution.

Texas Sen. Tom Haywood wrote in a commentary Saturday of two promising
bills that would fight against meth production and abuse.

Both sound promising, but creating laws isn't the only answer.

Any law put on the books would face an addict's fierce determination to
keep using and a meth producer's drive to maintain a steady income.
Methamphetamine is much too easy to produce.

As the series reported, all the ingredients can be purchased, individually,
at your local discount retailer. Unlike cocaine and heroin, "trafficking"
meth is as easy as making moonshine. And you could tell addicts, whose
highs are appealingly intense and lengthy, that you will line them up
against a wall, blindfold them and shoot them at noon if they don't stop
using, and the threat of a firing squad might make them hesitate for a moment.

Perhaps only for a moment. An addict is in denial.

The producer is in denial.

It won't be me; I won't get addicted.

I won't get caught.

Treatment programs hold some promise, but the mere fact that some last as
long as nine months shows just how strong the grip of meth can be. Until we
understand why so many see bodily destruction as an escape, we lose the war
on methamphetamine.

Until we learn the tell-tale signs of meth use within our own families, at
our workplaces, on the schoolyards, we lose the war on drugs. Until meth
gets on our radar, until parents and educational groups honestly tackle the
issues surrounding this problem, we aren't even fighting the war.