METH TASK FORCE TARGETS EDUCATION, TREATMENT, PREVENTION PROJECTS

Knowing there's no time to spin their wheels, the members of Cascade
County Meth Free on Monday outlined the next steps in their assault
on the highly addictive stimulant.

Earlier this month, the group organized an educational forum that
drew 500 people who wanted to learn more about methamphetamine to the
Great Falls Civic Center.

Terry Youngworth, fair housing specialist with the City of Great
Falls, said the forum just emphasized the need to get basic information out.

"A lot of people want to know what is meth? Why is the community so
worried about it?" he said.

So along with planning future forums, the Meth Free task force would
like to prepare presentations that can be given to community groups.
Topics could include how to spot a user, where to get help, the
dangers of meth labs and what to do to help law enforcement.

The task force is working to start support groups for addicts'
families that help them find treatment for their loved ones.

A top concern of the group was the safety of people who have to go
into homes where people are making meth using a slew of toxic chemicals.

They put together a flyer that describes what to look for and then
who to contact if someone finds themselves in a meth house.

The group is working to find funding to get the flyer printed and
then will distribute it to welfare officers, family advocates,
schools and even MSU nursing students who go into homes.

Some people will focus on researching what other states - like Oregon
and Missouri who are on the forefront - are doing to fight meth to
get ideas for what should be done here.

The task force is also reaching out to similar groups in other
counties and to the Montana Meth Project, a $5.6 million meth
prevention advertising campaign funded by the Thomas and Stacey
Siebel Foundation.

The advertising campaign kicked off Sept. 1, getting both the
attention of the kids it's aimed at and their parents.

Formed a year ago, Cascade County Meth Free is made up of people from
various social service, government and community groups who are
affected by meth.

In 2004, 1.4 million people older than age 12 said they used
methamphetamine in the last year, according to a Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration survey released last week.
Roughly 600,000 people said they had used meth in the last month.

While those numbers are about the same as in 2002 and 2003, the
survey showed a dramatic increase in the number of people addicted to the drug.

In 2002, 27.5 percent of meth users met criteria for drug dependence,
compared with 59.3 percent of 346,000 people in 2004.

The survey also found that 318,000 used meth for the first time in
the last year.

A dozen states in the West, including Montana, Nevada and Wyoming,
topped the ratings for highest past year use of methamphetamine. East
Coast states ranked the lowest.

Four committees were formed Monday to work on prevention, public
policies, education and outreach and treatment. The public is invited to join.

The next Meth Free meeting is at noon Oct. 24 at the Great Falls
Pre-release Center.

"We don't want to have a job anymore, we want their to be no need for
a Meth Free coalition," task force coordinator JoAnn Maxwell said.