LOCAL OFFICIALS REACT TO METH

It wasn't like reefer madness in the 1960s, when officials tried to
scare people away from using drugs. This was the real deal.

That's what Jennifer Lockwood, a licensed mental health counselor
with Mental Health Resources in Portales said on Thursday night after
watching, "Crystal Darkness," a 30-minute, commercial-free
documentary about methamphetamine, which aired statewide following
the evening news.

"This was not a scare tactic. This was just enough to get people
talking," Lockwood said. "Because the thing about it is that it was
all true."

The "Crystal Darkness" documentary, filmed in northern New Mexico by
a nonprofit organization in Nevada, was part of a campaign designed
to draw awareness to the statewide problem of meth abuse and addiction.

Portales Police Capt. Lonnie Berry was unable to watch the
documentary on Thursday night, although his family did. Berry said,
"Meth is probably the biggest narcotic issue that we deal with. We
deal with meth abuse on a daily basis, through the people we come in
contact with."

Berry said that the Portales Police Department gets at least one call
a week from family members of meth addicts, asking what they can do,
where they can get help for their loved ones.

Berry also commented on a local documentary being filmed by a
Portales man, Paul Hunton, with the help of Crime Stoppers. "We are
really encouraged by what Paul is doing. He has a great project going
on and it's about people from here, from this area," Berry said.

At Lindsey Middle School in Portales, sixth graders were encouraged
to watch the "Crystal Darkness" documentary on Thursday night with
their families. Lindsey Principal Rick Segovia said, "At Lindsey, our
students are getting to the age where they are most likely to be
influenced by TV or by older people. We want to empower them and
educate them on the dangers of meth, to help give them refusal skills
to say no, and avoid situations that will get them into it."

Segovia said the school has also had officials from the 9th Judicial
District Attorney's Office speak to the children about the dangers of
meth use.

While Lockwood thought the documentary was a good tool in creating
more awareness, she said that she hopes it does not cause people to
judge meth addicts.

"We have to really help these people," she said. "They are not
monsters. Even though meth does make people do terrible things, there
are people inside of them."

Lockwood did say she was a bit disappointed that the documentary did
not address the area of rehabilitation. In the documentary, one man
said, "There is not a prison cell in this country that will shake the
addiction of methamphetamine."

Berry said, "One thing that people need to realize is that getting
addicted doesn't happen overnight and getting clean doesn't happen
overnight, either."

The reoccurring theme throughout the documentary by recovering
addicts was, "It's not worth it!" as addicts talked about how meth
caused them to do things they never thought they could do.

According to the documentary, methamphetamine is a man-made drug
which travels to the brain and creates an intense rush for hours and
is known to keep people awake for days at a time.

Over time, the drug destroys the brain's pleasure receptors and
causes severe depression in people and a constant addiction that is
never satisfied.

For more information about the documentary go to www.crystaldarkness.com.
To get help for meth addiction, call 877-238-7272.