TASK FORCE DEVELOPS NEW STRATEGIES

Methamphetamine use struck the mountains with the force of an epidemic
in the late 1990s.

The man-made narcotic left few pockets of the community untouched. So
the response, it seems, should involve the entire community.

Fifteen civic leaders gathered in the Claddagh Inn on Friday to
explore ways the presence of the drug could be curbed in Henderson
County.

The group, called the Henderson County Meth Task Force, included
everyone from educators to police officers, social workers to paramedics.

They are the people on the front-line of the battle against
meth.

In the course of six hours, the Task Force hashed out ways in which
the drug could be combated. Two challenges emerged as top targets --
teaching the public about meth, and curbing the pattern of child
neglect spurred by the drug.

"It is a sad situation, because you see kids in these homes who are
undergoing severe neglect, like you've never seen with any other
drug," said Jane Ferguson, the CEO of Appalachian Counseling. Ferguson
said she has seen more and more meth addicts come to the
Hendersonville substance abuse and mental health care provider.