ADDICTION'S TRUE COLORS

The Issue: Drug Addiction Locally

Our View: Recent Stories Reveal The True Nature Of The Problem

News of the discovery this week of the first known methamphetamine
lab in Freeport came as a shock to many, especially given its
location on West Logan Street, in a quiet residential neighborhood.
Police, though, knew the meth scourge was coming, and by all
accounts, they acted quickly and decisively when it finally arrived.
For months, they've also been hosting educational meetings for school
kids, the community and anyone else who would listen. Their
prescience on this matter reflects well on local law enforcement's
ability to stay ahead of the public-safety curve.

But while news of this week's meth bust was shocking for what it was,
it may have been equally surprising to some for what it was not; and
who was not responsible - namely the fact that at least two, white,
clean-cut-looking people stand accused of being at least partially
responsible for trying to manufacture meth out of a house that looked
just like every other house on a predominately white side of town.
Meth, you see, is a largely white phenomenon, though not exclusively so.

Another story in Saturday's edition by reporter Travis Morse strikes
a related chord - namely the unjust disparity between sentences meted
out for tiny amounts of crack cocaine, preferred by predominately
black addicts and dealers; and powder cocaine, which is usually the
drug of choice for white folks with money to burn, or at least money
they are willing to burn on addictions.

And on today's front page, a story by reporter Diana Roemer informs
us that prescription painkiller abuse is far and away the most
pervasive drug problem in our community, and those addicted to pills
are young and old alike - black and white, too - from all social
groups and educational levels. The more we know about drug problems
here and elsewhere, the more we realize addiction does not
discriminate. We are all at risk, and we should all work to ensure
our children don't become victims of addiction's seductive but
ultimately destructive and painful allure.