NEW DRUG DANGER

Alaska's Battle Against Meth Is Tough But Important Fight

A methamphetamine epidemic is in full swing in Alaska. Recent news reports
paint a grim picture. Users are sucked into an iron grip of addiction, meth
cooks are setting fires and leaving behind toxic messes, and cops are busy
making bust after bust after bust.

Alaska law enforcement has responded vigorously, as well it should. Meth
use and meth manufacturing are not victimless crimes. No one knowing the
misery of meth addiction -- the days or weeks without sleep, the persistent
paranoia and hallucinations, the long-term brain damage -- makes a rational
choice to use meth. Anyone subjected to a meth cooking operation --
spouses, children, neighbors -- gets exposed to a toxic stew of chemicals,
plus the danger of a major fire.

It's unfortunate that Anchorage's crackdown on meth has pushed the problem
outside the city into other areas with fewer police. Meth is so powerful
that it will rear up somewhere unless there is a consistent, widespread
push to suppress it. Treatment is an important part of the fight too, but
it is a big investment that seldom pays off the first time.

As with any drug addiction, the best defense is prevention. Crackdowns can
disrupt supplies temporarily, but meth is so easy to make that people who
want it will be able to get it.

There always seem to be plenty of people leading such pained or empty lives
that they want to fill emotional voids with euphoric drugs. Alaska's
challenge, the country's challenge, is to help parents raise healthy
children and help youths make good long-term choices. Education, cultural
opportunities, sports, volunteering, civic contributions -- all play a role
in building lives of meaning and communities of purpose. All give us a
better chance of preventing drug abuse.

There are no easy solutions and results can't be guaranteed, but we owe it
to ourselves and our children to do what we can.