FIGHTING BACK AGAINST METH

Seven years ago Jim Bettencourt of Willows learned from a phone call
that his then 15-year-old son was having a seizure.

Being a happy family with no history of drug abuse, or even drug
awareness, Bettencourt said he was surprised to find his son's four
grand mal seizures, kidney failure and four days on life support were
the result of what many argue is the most used and abused illegal drug
and what Bettencourt called "an all consuming destructive evil" -
methamphetamine.

Bettencourt's son's near-fatal overdose can be seen on the cover of
America's Choice America's Shame, where the boy is pictured in a
hospital bed hooked to several life-saving needles and tubes.

The book was published Oct. 16, several years after the landscape
contractor decided to dedicate himself to substance abuse prevention
and becoming an expert on "the reality of America's war on drugs." The
book's rating on the Barnes & Noble Web site skyrocketed last weekend.
Bettencourt is a chairperson for the substance abuse prevention
coalition, Not In Our Town, Glenn County, which can be found online at
www.end2meth.org. He has received support from St. Elizabeth Community
Hospital and worked with the Tehama County Substance Abuse Prevention
Coalition giving away bikes, helmets and substance abuse prevention
material at the Health Spree. Corning Union High School and Centennial
High School students have heard Bettencourt speak, and student and
faculty commentary have proven the message was well-received.
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Schools that are interested in hearing Bettencourt speak can call
330-3139.

Bettencourt said he has used all of his financial assets to teach
people about meth and how no family is safe from illegal drug abuse.

Man does his part

Between 3,000 and 5,000 students - from the fourth grade to college
age - from five counties in Northern California have listened to
Bettencourt share his experiences and the hard facts about illegal
drugs.

"These kids don't know what they're saying yes to," he said. "I think
we could at least tell them." The 52-year-old gray-haired middle-aged
man connects with students through PowerPoint presentations, which
have resulted in countless children and adults approaching him about
their addictions or family drug problems. He has helped addicts who
have called him at home desperately searching for help.

Bettencourt said substance abuse programs for children are too few and
too ineffective. The longest chapter in his book is titled
"Bureaucratic Resistance." He said it is "sinful" that society is not
providing adequate drug awareness to children living in communities
inundated with meth.

"We as a society are failing our children, and then we comfortably
present them as the problem children," he said.

Twelve billion dollars are spent on drug prevention each year, and
$450 billion is spent on intervention and treatment, he said.
Bettencourt said he wants to tackle the problem before it starts
because people who try meth can get addicted their first time using.

Bettencourt said the drug education he received in the '70s consisted
of "Reefer Madness," Cheech & Chong, "Easy Rider" and
"Woodstock."

"Prior to my son's near-fatal overdose, I could have been the poster
child for Drug Dummies of America," Bettencourt said in his book.

And his education was not much different than what is taught in
schools today, Bettencourt said.

"The reality is our substance abuse prevention programs are
drastically inadequate, underfunded or completely ignored," and drugs
are more dangerous than they were 30 years ago.

Tackling meth in Tehama County

Although he agrees there needs to be more drug awareness and emphasis,
Vic Lacey said America is not losing the war on drugs.

"We win it all the time," said Lacey, commander for the Tehama
Interagency Drug Enforcement task force, which conducts drug
investigations and provides training and presentations to agencies and
schools.

TIDE collected more than 460 grams of crystal meth in Tehama County in
2006.

"It's a lot of lives," he said. And Lacey said he expects that number
to rise this year.

People think America is losing the war on drugs because law
enforcement is finding more drugs all the time, he said.

"We're never gonna completely get rid of it."

But it's impossible to measure the amount of people who say no to
drugs after seeing the gruesome before and after pictures Lacey shows
children. He said he can tell from the children's expressions and
words that TIDE has an impact.

Photos of meth users with frighteningly skinny figures, sore-covered
faces and numb expressions are not exaggerated on the Internet. That's
what the task force sees on a regular basis, Lacey said.

"There's nothing good about this drug," he said. "It tears people
up."

Lacey said the task force hopes to start talking to classes about
drugs once a month. They will talk to students as young as grade
school because meth affects people of all ages. Lacey has investigated
meth addicts in their 70s and some who are 12. He's been in houses
where babies have crawled on floors covered with syringes.

"We find it everywhere ... and we seize it regularly," he said.
"There's nowhere to get away from it." Meth makes people feel better
than ever before, Lacey said. But the ecstasy is short lived and
followed by several adverse effects.

"Everywhere we find meth, we find sexual deviancy and pornography," he
said. "It goes hand and hand with this drug." The spiral of events
that happen after someone snorts, smokes or shoots meth makes it the
biggest drug problem in the county and around the world, Lacey said.
It's "not a war that law enforcement alone can fight."

A happy ending

The Tehama County Health Services Agency battles substance abuse
locally. More than 700 people went to the agency between July of 2006
and June of this year. Six-hundred sixty-two people were enrolled in
treatment services, and 49 percent of those treated reported meth as
their primary drug of choice. Twelve percent were adolescents.

In addition to treating drug users, the agency's Drug and Alcohol
Division provides education and skill-building groups to students,
conducts community education classes and provides outreach to
residents of the county jail and juvenile hall.

According to Division Director Susan McVean, meth is a significant
problem in Tehama County as well as throughout the state. However,
Health Services has experienced that treatment works and recovery does
happen.

"Our community's collaborative efforts do make a difference," McVean
said in an e-mail.

Bettencourt's son who overdosed recovered and is a senior at Chico
State University studying criminal justice. Bettencourt looked at the
photo of his son on the cover of his book Monday, and he said it was a
blessing.

He said he is thankful his son is alive. He said his now 22-year-old
son feels regretful. But both father and son are happy to help others.

Bettencourt said the education he has received in the last seven years
from life experiences is priceless.