METH USE DOWN SLIGHTLY DUE TO HIGHER COST, NEW LAW

Campaign Task Force Disbands But Work Continues

Although he was only 4 years old at the time, Taran Kahus remembers
Aug. 1, 1999, as the most remarkable day of his life.

"It's the day I got my mom back," said Kahus, who is now 13. "There
is hope after meth -- recovery is possible. "

Featured with his mother, Robin Kahus, in an ad spot about
methamphetamine use, the St. George teen seems wise beyond his years.
As a toddler, Taran Kahus lived with his grandparents while his
mother went through several months of treatment in Salt Lake City.

The commercial represents the grand finale of a $2 million End Meth
Now campaign produced by Riester, a public relations firm with
offices in Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Los Angeles. It aired on local
television stations Nov. 3-17 and Dec. 1-15.

"He became caretaker," Robin Kahus said of how her toddler son
handled her addiction. A similar story plays out across the state,
with methamphetamine the clear drug of choice among women between the
ages of 18 and 34.

"Meth doesn't discriminate -- it plows a trail right through
society," Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. told members of the Utah
Methamphetamine Joint Task Force who gathered Monday one last time on
Capitol Hill before disbanding.

Formed in 2006, the diverse task force designed to last two years
looked at ways to attack the raging addiction that ravaged families
in every part of the state.

"It's the supermom syndrome -- the thinking that you've got to do it
all," Huntsman said of Utah's pattern of meth use.

Even more frightening than moms on meth are junior high students
experimenting with the energy-boosting and highly addictive drug.

"Some start using it at that age and they become people who spread
the addiction," said Dr. Glen Hanson of the Utah Addiction Center.
"If you can stop it at that age, you can curtail it in the long run."

That's the intent this week at Layton Junior High, where the Davis
County school is featuring daily sessions dealing with meth and its
ill-effects.

Meth use jumped in Utah from 2002 to 2006, but has since declined
slightly.

Brent Kelsey, assistant director for Utah's Department of Human
Services, attributes that fact to meth costing more and becoming more
scarce, thanks to a law -- sponsored by Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West
Jordan -- that made it hard for stateside meth cooks to purchase all
the ingredients.

"It's important at any age to talk honestly about substance abuse and
the dangers," said Liz Sollis, DHS spokeswoman. "It's important to
recognize the signs of abuse and to connect people with resources
that can help."

For Robin Kahus, that knowledge led to redemption and a second
chance.

"I was self-medicating because of sexual abuse issues," she said of
her lengthy battle with the beast.

While she continues to take recovery one day at a time, Robin Kahus
is certain of one thing.

"Without treatment, I'd be in prison or dead."

Signs of possible meth use: hyperactive behavior, mood swings,
paranoia, weight loss

For more information, log on to www.endmethnow.org . To find help for
yourself or a loved one, dial 2-1-1.