CITY OFFICIALS CALL FOR NEW METH SOLUTIONS

Great Falls community leaders agreed Thursday that Montana needs a plan for
dealing with meth because current methods just aren't working. Mayor Randy
Gray invited judges, law enforcement leaders, medical professionals,
treatment experts and legislators to discuss the problem and hopefully come
up with a plan to take to the Legislature.

"It seems to me, from a societal point of view, there's got to be a better
way to deal with the problem," Gray said. "We arrest, incarcerate, turn them
loose, then arrest, incarcerate and turn them loose again. It's our No. one
social, economic and societal problem."

Montana is one of eight states identified as having "serious methamphetamine
problems" by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In 2001, Cascade County had 22 meth labs -- the most in the state. Flathead
County followed with 17; Yellowstone had nine, Lewis and Clark County had
eight, Lake and Missoula counties had five and Silver Bow County had four.

The Drug Enforcement Administration spent more than $600,000 in 2000 to
dispose of chemicals from Montana's 86 meth labs

Law enforcement has estimated that an ongoing, multi-agency federal drug
bust dubbed Operation Speed Trap has brought an estimated 250 pounds of meth
worth $11 million to central Montana from Washington.

Law enforcement also has said that as more importers get convicted, small
meth labs are cropping up more often.

Joining Gray at the Civic Center were District Judges Kenneth Neill and
Thomas McKittrick; Municipal Judge Nancy Luth; attorney Darcy Crum, who
works with the Children's Advocate Network; Dr. Daniel Nauts with the
chemical dependency unit at Benefis; Shelly Andrus, a psychiatric nurse at
Benefis; Mike Mikulski from Gateway Recovery Center; and Dennis Hanson, a
licensed addiction counselor.

Another group meets today: state Reps. Joe McKenney and Tim Callahan and
Sen.-elect Trudi Schmidt of Great Falls; District Judge Julie Macek; Deputy
Cascade County and Judge-elect Dirk Sandefur; Deputy County Attorney.

They'll be joined by Rep.-elect John Parker, Justices of the Peace Sam
Harris and Kathleen Jensen, Sheriff John Strandell and Police Chief Bob
Jones.

County Attorney Brant Light was invited but indicated he would not be able
to attend.

Gray got the idea for a "meth working group" from a U.S. Department of
Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance article that detailed similar drug
problems in Wyoming.

The article, "Wyoming's Methamphetamine Initiative: The Power of Informed
Process," says that statistical analysis of the problem changed attitudes in
favor of treating meth addicts instead of incarcerating them. It also
suggests that long-term treatment is key.

The same ideas were tossed around the table Thursday, with enthusiastic
agreement that participants would do whatever it takes to make changes.

Nauts said current methods of treatment didn't encompass the host of other
problems that seem to be inherent with meth users, such as alcohol abuse,
pill popping and mental health issues.

He said 28-day programs are too short to be effective because they wrap up
just as the addict begins to respond to treatment.

He suggested turning instead to "transitional living" programs that last six
months, with long-term follow-up counseling.

Even if there is an acknowledgement that the methods have to change, he said
there isn't enough funding to institute new programs.

"We need to tighten up what we have now," Nauts said.

That's where Gray's idea to take a proposal to the Legislature comes in, a
task he admits is daunting because of the overloaded state budget.

Also discussed was the need for increased consequences for meth abuse.

From the judicial standpoint, Neill pointed out that the current probation
system was supposed to handle the problem, but there aren't enough probation
officers to catch drug offenders every time they go back to drugs.

Nauts and Mikulski said the current Intensive Supervision Program that
judges can impose is effective because offenders are on inmate status. That
means that if a probation officer catches them in the act, they can be sent
prison immediately, without going through court.

Gray, Neill and Nauts agreed to continue the discussion next week. The
entire group plans to reconvene in early January.