TURNING THE TIDE THROUGH PREVENTION

The U.S. Department of Justice has declared Thursday, Nov. 30,
National Meth Awareness Day, an opportunity to collectively address a
threat of increasing concern to Northern Virginia communities: abuse
of the highly addictive drug methamphetamine.

Surveying the devastation meth has brought to regions of the West and
Midwest, Northern Virginia is comparatively fortunate. The area has
yet to feel the full force of meth, a drug that breeds crime and
violence, saps law enforcement and health care resources, and is
associated with heartbreaking child abuse and neglect.

However, it would be naive to expect that the affluence or desirable
location of neighborhoods will be enough to keep this drug from
taking hold. Concerted efforts to raise awareness and mobilize the
community are imperative to preventing meth from spreading further.

Meth has made slow but steady inroads already. While meth lab
incidents are low - two meth labs were seized in Prince William
County over the past three years and the total number of lab
incidents in the state this year to date has totaled 11 - the
availability of imported meth from Mexico is increasing. Arrests for
meth possession in Northern Virginia suggest an increasing demand for
this dangerous drug.

Meth users are violent and paranoid and pose a danger to themselves
and others. In Fairfax, a man was recently arrested after he set
himself on fire, suffering from severe hallucinations induced by a
days-long meth binge.

Encounters like these have only steeled determination to reverse this
trend, but meth cannot be shut out through law enforcement alone -
parents and concerned citizens play a vital role in turning the tide
on meth by learning about this threat and spreading the word.

The Prince William and Fairfax County police departments, along with
local substance abuse treatment and prevention professionals and the
Partnership for a Drug-Free America, are participating in a new
community outreach program called Meth360. Visiting local Rotary and
Lions clubs, hospitals, citizens' advisory councils, churches and
other business and civic organizations, Meth360 teams are delivering
meth prevention presentations throughout Northern Virginia. Since
July, more than 700 residents have been educated about the dangerous
realities of meth and challenged to educate others in the community,
starting in their own homes.

Parents are the cornerstone of drug use prevention. Research shows
that teens who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home - from a
parent, mentor or caring adult - are up to 50 percent less likely to
use drugs. Building a future safe from meth means ensuring that our
children are well informed and equipped to make healthy decisions
about drug use. Every parent has the responsibility to take time to
learn about meth and other drugs and pass the information along
through frequent, open conversations with their kids.

Meth is a costly problem for communities, both socially and
economically, but community action is a powerful tool to help keep
meth at bay. Concerned citizens can engage the business and health
care communities, local leaders and media in their efforts to raise
awareness about methamphetamine. Volunteer opportunities through
faith-based organizations, schools or community services boards are
another powerful way to reach others who will benefit from learning
about the risks of meth. Within the workplace and neighborhoods,
spreading awareness of the signs and symptoms of meth use and
production increases public safety and may encourage someone in need
of help for meth addiction to seek treatment.

Meth has brought unfathomable damage and devastation to hundreds of
communities across the country. Armed with the lessons learned from
the hardship of others, no one in Northern Virginia should remain
unaware or unconvinced that you can, and must, protect the families
and communities of tomorrow from the methamphetamine scourge.
Collectively, we all can make a difference.