TASK FORCE TARGETS METH USE

State agencies aim to cooperate in fight against 'drug of choice'

DENVER - A new task force met Tuesday to tackle what the state's
attorney general calls the "drug of choice" in Colorado - methamphetamine.

The group brought together police officers, social workers, health
specialists and lawmakers to find out what works for local governments.

"What are we doing right? Is there anything we're doing right? How do
we break the cycle of addiction for families?" asked Commander Lori
Moriarty with the Thornton Police Department.

Moriarty said authorities made many mistakes in the early years of
the meth craze, especially their failure to talk to each other.
Police, for example, often focused on making arrests while neglecting
the needs of children whose parents were being taken to jail.

On the other hand, police on the streets are in a position to
critique how effective drug-treatment programs are, she said.

"You ask cops all across Colorado, 'Is treatment really working?' And
we'll feel like saying no," Moriarty said.

Last week, Attorney General John Suthers, who leads the task force,
announced the indictment of 20 Four Corners residents for allegedly
stealing cars and trading them for meth.

Suthers said the amount of property theft caused by meth addiction is
"clearly sizeable. I don't think there's any question about it. Car
theft, burglary, identity theft are very closely tied to
methamphetamine addiction."

Meth addicts commit about two-thirds of all identity theft crimes in
Colorado, Suthers said.

But it's not just a police problem, task force members said. They
want to focus on how to help addicts recover and keep people off the
drug in the first place.

Unlike other drugs, women make up almost half of all meth addicts,
said Vice Chairwomen Janet Wood. Some women become hooked because
they're using the drug to lose weight or to be more productive at
work. But because women usually take care of the children, the meth
epidemic has had a big effect on the state's children, she said.

The state Legislature established the task force this spring. The
group is supposed to report back to the Legislature in January. It
will continue meeting through at least 2010.