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.