WHAT'S COOKING IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD?

Cass County's Meth Task Force is in the midst of distributing a
quantity of public education materials. The rollout continues through
September.

Meth Watch materials aim at educating retailers, who received
training in June. During road patrols, the Sheriff's Office is
distributing Meth Watch retailer packets containing customer
information sheets, door signs, shelf signs and an employee poster
altering workers to "pre-cursor" material methamphetamine "cooks"
might buy, such as cold pills containing ephedrine or pseudophedrine,
acetone, rubbing and isopropyl alcohol, starter fluid (ether),
gasoline additives (methanol), drain cleaner (sulfuric acid), lithium
batteries, rock salt, matchbooks (red phosphorous), lye, paint
thinner, aluminum foil, glassware, coffee filters and propane tanks.

"In this one more way, the Cass County Sheriff's Office continues to
be a leader in the fight against meth and should be congratulated for
its efforts," Jen Lester, task force coordinator through Woodlands
Addiction Center in Vandalia, said Thursday. She said retailers pose
a "major line of defense against meth manufacturing" and protect
their inventory and increase employee and customer safety by
participating in the Meth Watch program.

Participating restaurants include Porky's, Kulesia's, Big Eddies, the
Council on Aging, Broadway Cafe and Subway in Cassopolis, with
Dowagiac, Edwardsburg, Decatur and Marcellus restaurants approached
for participation within the next week. Participating groceries
include Felpausch Food Center, Save-a-Lot and Harding's in
Cassopolis. Edwardsburg, Decatur and Marcellus groceries will be
approached for participation within the next week also.

Note pads have been produced to give away at public events, such as
the county fair or agricultural seminars. Table tents go on
restaurant table tops and as cashier-counter giveaways.

An 8 1/2x11-inch document is a grocery bag stuffer distributed
through local checkout lanes.

"We have been thrilled with the responsiveness of local restaurants
and grocery stores willing to participate in this public education
effort," Lester said. "Just as encouraging is seeing the Meth Watch
signage on the entry doors of so many Meth Watch and other public
education efforts to know increased awareness leads to decreased
manufacturing and related crime. The businesses participating in this
effort should be publicly recognized by patrons for improving our
safety and protecting the quality of life we enjoy in Cass County."

Also being released in two stages is a resource directory. The first
stage is to Cass County professionals - Department of Human Services,
Health Department, probation and parole officers, lawyers, elected
township officials and county commissioners.

These will be mailed early next week. The second stage will be
through the (prisoner) Discharge Planning Committee, New Hope, a drug
testing facility for probationers and parolees and Community Mental
Health and Addictions Treatment Center lobbies.

"This directory is created in recognition that none of us are immune
to life-threatening addictions," Lester said.

"Once addicted, a meaningful recovery means rebuilding destroyed
areas of a life" through employment, housing, medical and dental care
and transportation.

"This rebuilding usually won't occur without the intervention and
support of other individuals and human service agencies," she said.
"And rebuilding can be a daunting task for anyone, but for someone
whose functioning has been severely impaired through drug abuse, the
task looms even larger. The task force wants to support the
commitment of recovering addicts and those affected by them and to
recognize their efforts as an essential part of the fight against
meth, resulting crime and its victims and harm to families in our county."

Lester said the task force is also creating a "family-friendly" Web
site (MethTalk.org) that will go live later this fall.

Unlike many meth Web sites that contain graphic information and
depictions unsuitable for some, MethTalk.org plans to include
information contained in the resource directory, as well as
meth-specific information appropriate for all Cass County residents.

Lester said the fight against supply-and-demand of drugs of abuse
must be waged collaboratively on three fronts - interdiction,
prevention and treatment - to succeed:

€ Interdiction - seizure of drug shipments, closure of
manufacturing/growing operations, arrests of users and successful
prosecution and appropriate sentencing of those found responsible.

€ Prevention - public education and awareness, parent and student
education, public policy and law advertising campaigns, community
coalitions and any other effort that discourages use and abuse of
drugs and changes tolerant community perceptions about drug use/abuse.

€ Treatment - alternatively meeting the needs of those who
used/abused drugs believing it would improve their life circumstances
and teaching and supporting their alternative choices.

Family members and other partners who developed coping skills that
improved their survival within the household - but consequently
lessened their success outside of the home - are in need of treatment
to appropriately support the recovering addict, discard and replace
their own dysfunctional coping skills and to heal emotional and
psychological wounds.

"We are fortunate to live in a county where our sheriff, prosecuting
attorney, the Dowagiac police chief and other area law enforcement
leaders anticipated the influx of methamphetamine," Lester said.

"They responded proactively, along with residents who supported a
special law enforcement millage" in August 2004 - even before the
task force formed.

"The sheriff, prosecutor and local police chiefs continue to promote
a successful and effective fight against meth in Cass County.

"Woodlands Behavioral Healthcare and the Health Department also have
a proactive history of prevention efforts within our schools and with
individuals. Proactive community members, like those serving on the
methamphetamine task force during the past year, are making a strong
and positive impact."

"Treatment efforts continue from a dedicated circle of professionals
working in Cass County," Lester continued.

"Unfortunately, substance abuse treatment dollars have slowly
declined or stayed much the same over the past two decades in
Michigan and in Cass County and limit the range and depth of
treatment provided. As a task force we are actively encouraging our
state and federal legislators to increase treatment funding and
encourage our community to do the same."