NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO DROP FOCUS ON METH

Barry McCaffrey, the former federal drug czar, was quoted Sunday in the New
York Times as having called methamphetamine "the worst drug that has ever
hit America."

Countless citizens of our region who have watched friends or relatives
succumb to the drug, who have fallen prey to the theft that fuels its
manufacture and purchase or who simply have worried about the impact it has
quickly come to have probably would agree with McCaffrey.

Law enforcement officials -- especially those in the Daviess County
Sheriff's Department -- have worked tirelessly against the rising tide of
meth use and manufacture. But they know this area is a prime brewing ground
for meth because of a confluence of circumstances, most especially the easy
availability of anhydrous ammonia. That chemical is a valuable fertilizer,
often stored in sparsely populated areas, that also happens to be a key
component in manufacturing meth.

Many in the community were heartened 10 months ago when Steve Reed, then
the relatively new U.S. attorney for western Kentucky, organized a series
of meetings here and pledged his office to help combat the spread of
methamphetamine.

Unfortunately, as a story By Matt Francis in Monday's Messenger-Inquirer
reported, little headway has been made in the months since. And Reed, who
brought energy and a commitment to spend more time outside of his
Louisville office, serving western Kentucky, is leaving government for
private practice.

The lack of progress is not necessarily cause for alarm -- Reed's Operation
United Front apparently has laid important groundwork. But it would be a
setback for this region if Reed's successor, not yet named, does not carry
on the emphasis.

If the U. S. attorney's office backs away from the fight or simply lets it
slip to a low priority, local law enforcement officials will have lost an
important ally. As it is, Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain describes his
department's situation as "managing the mayhem" and needing all the help it
can get.

The fight does not just belong to police agencies. It is the responsibility
of all of us, and Reed's meetings last year did serve to broaden and deepen
the knowledge of people in the community. That education task goes on with
programs such as the Green River District Health Department's session last
week to help home-visiting nurses recognize signs of meth use and production.

The community will have another prime opportunity to learn about and help
combat meth next Tuesday evening at Owensboro Community College's Blandford
Lecture Hall.

Continued community efforts such as these will help to convince the U.S.
attorney's office that we are serious and, in turn, should expect serious
commitment to continuing Operation United Front.