CONNECTICUT LEADERS FIGHT TO CRACK DOWN ON CRANK

As far as Governor Jodi Rell is concerned, new laws are needed to
keep methamphetamine use in Connecticut to a minimum. While towns
across the country struggle because of a meth epidemic, Rell hopes
to quell meth use in Connecticut before it takes a tight hold.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug commonly known as meth,
crystal meth, ice, speed, or crank. Unlike marijuana, cocaine, and
heroin, meth does not come from plants but is produced in
laboratories. Meth is not as prevalent in Connecticut as it is west
of the Mississippi, and officials want to make sure it stays that way.

"There are no methamphetamine users being treated here," said an
official at the APT Foundation, a New Haven based nonprofit
organization that treats individuals with substance abuse problems
in multiple clinical centers. The official asked not to be named to
protect the identities of his clients. At the same time,
increasingly large quantities of methamphetamine are being smuggled
in from Mexico, where it is produced in mass-scale "superlabs."

"I still believe we need to get tougher laws here in Connecticut,"
Rell said last Thur., Nov. 30, at the state Capitol. The governor
vowed to introduce legislation to make punishments harsher for those
that sell or manufacture methamphetamine. She proposed a 15-year
prison sentence for first time offenders and a 30-year sentence for
second time offenders.

Earlier this year, Rell issued a statement that came down hard on
existing laws, "We need to get tougher laws on the books this year
to send the message that the sale or possession of this drug will
land you in jail." She has succeeded in reclassifying
the possession of methamphetamine manufacturing paraphernalia as a
Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. She also
advocated requiring pharmacists to keep a log of people who purchase
cold medications like Sudafed that contain pseudoephedrine or
ephedrine, chemical ingredients of methamphetamine.

When asked about the effectiveness of such strong punishments, Carol
Meredith, assistant director of the Prevention and Intervention Unit
of the Department of the Connecticut Mental Health and Addiction
Services, said enforcement strategies can be a significant
source of deterrence.

But not everyone is confident that Rell's policy will succeed.
According to Cliff Thornton, a representative of Efficacy, a
Connecticut based organization that advocates legalization of drugs,
the current aggressive anti-drug policy is a ploy used by
politicians. Instead, the government should acknowledge the presence
of drugs and regulate their use. "There have been countless surveys
that say marijuana is easier for minors to obtain than alcohol or
cigarettes," said Thornton. "We have to bring drugs into the law. We
must legalize, medicalize, and decriminalize." Thornton ran for
governor of Connecticut under the Green Party ticket in 2006.

"Has prohibition worked with cannabis, heroin, alcohol, or crack
cocaine?" Thornton asked. "Alcohol only came under control after the
government lifted prohibition." Time will tell if Rell's crackdown
on meth will face similar roadblocks.