CAUTIOUS PROGRESS LIMITING METH USE

Amid the array of drug threats facing communities, methamphetamine stands
out for the broad reach of its pernicious effects.

The drug can wreck not just users' lives, but also pose serious threats to
the health of their kids, police officers and even the environment. And
it's epidemic -- the drug is found everywhere, in rural, suburban and urban
settings. After spreading from the West Coast, the stimulant has crossed
the Mississippi River and reached the East Coast.

Even as the cheap, easily produced drug spreads nationally, this state may
be making modest progress. Priscilla Lisicich, chairwoman of the Governor's
Council on Substance Abuse, said that meth production in the state has
trended downward for more than a year, including a 15 percent drop during
the first part of this year. After the state's third meth summit, held in
Vancouver last week, Lisicich came away feeling, "We are making progress,
but let's be cautious."

As leaders in much of the state realized in the late '90s, combating meth
requires a wide-ranging holistic approach. Over the past five years or so,
most counties -- including Pierce, King and Snohomish -- have mobilized
community support along with state efforts.

Law enforcement, treatment and community education must all play central
roles. The state ecology and health departments have helped deal with the
poisonous residue of meth labs and dumping sites, often in what should be
pristine parts of the countryside. Retailers of numerous ingredients --
fertilizers, over-the-counter drugs and batteries, among others -- have
learned to be alert to suspicious purchases.

Even while strapped for money, the state must continue its efforts to help
communities combat meth. Fortunately, Congress has also provided
significant help, in part because all of the state's representatives are
members of a bipartisan caucus on the issue.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, a Lake Stevens Democrat and co-chairman of the
caucus, said the House versions of pending appropriations measures would
provide additional support to the state. U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Olympia,
has introduced a bill to help law enforcement agencies across the country
train and equip for the dangerous contaminants they find at lab sites,
which can be homes, apartments or hotel rooms anywhere.

Roger Lake, president of the Washington State Narcotics Investigators
Association, said there are no social or economic borders to meth abuse.
Frequently, the parents of young children are involved. Among other
consequences, the parents can lose jobs and the custody of their children.

Experts say that the use of special drug courts in some counties has helped
ensure that many addicts work at rehabilitating themselves. The courts hold
up a stick along with the carrot of recovery.

Meth is, as Lisicich, Lake and other leaders across the state know, a
problem that demands holistic solutions. And patience, persistence and
awareness.