FIGHTING METH

Ads are vital component of effort to rid state of methamphetamine.

A public service announcement campaign to fight the state's methamphetamine
problem is a welcome endeavor. The 30-second spots running in English and
Spanish are part of a much-needed effort to rid the Central Valley and
California of the destructive meth labs.

Gov. Gray Davis, who revealed the ads earlier this week, acknowledges that
the production and use of methamphetamine is one of the biggest social and
environmental threats the state faces. The fact that the governor is now on
board is a good sign, recognizing that the Valley is a hotbed for meth
production. Ninety percent of the nation's methamphetamine is produced in
California; much of that is manufactured in the Central Valley.

The residue of the clandestine labs that produce the toxic drug is evident
throughout the San Joaquin Valley -- as are related problems. From
chemicals spewing into the earth and groundwater to the devastation done to
users' lives, methamphetamine contaminates our environment and wrecks families.

And the children. Possibly the most disturbing part of a special report by
a team of Bee reporters from Fresno, Modesto and Sacramento in October 2000
was the effect that methamphetamine has on children, the offspring of users
and those whose parents manufacture the drug in their homes.

Fittingly, the commercial spots airing on cable television outlets in the
Central Valley feature the face of young child as a narrator speaks of the
health dangers of the chemicals used to make meth. The ad gives a toll-free
number -- 1-866-METH-LAB -- that viewers can call to anonymously report
meth production.

The state is confronting tight financial times with not enough money to
spread around to all the serious needs, such as infrastructure, education,
agriculture, air pollution and water quality and quantity. Nonetheless,
money spent eradicating methamphetamine must continue to have a high
priority. The ad campaign is a vital part of that effort.