FORMER LA COP SHARES STORY OF DAUGHTER'S CRANK ADDICTION

Montana's Not Immune From Drug Problems

From the gaunt cheeks to the oozing needle tracks on their arms,
former Los Angeles police officer Ron Clem knew the faces of
methamphetamine addicts when he saw them.

And the fact he couldn't erase those images from his mind after
retiring from the police force played a pivotal role in his decision
to move his family to the Kalispell area in a bid to shield his
children from the war on drugs in which he battled for so many years.

Imagine Clem's dismay when the familiar face of the meth addict
showed up in his life again -- this time, the one hooked on crank was
his teen-aged daughter, Carren.

"There was nothing we could do to keep control of our daughter," he
told guests at a luncheon endorsing the state's Meth Free Montana
community policing initiative Tuesday. "She lived for (drugs) and she
would die for them if she had to."

She's the first to agree that she almost did. Carren Clem recalled
for the audience her progression from drinking at the age of 14 to
her graduation to a $200-a-day meth habit at the age of 17.

"It was me and my drugs," she said, adding that she moved out of her
parents' home and began funding her drug addiction by stealing and
doing whatever else it took to put cash in her pocket.

Not even the image of her father lying in a Kalispell hospital bed
after he succumbed to the stress of trying to get her off the streets
and into treatment made an impression on her.

Instead, she said she came to an epiphany as she lay heaving after a
night of partying and doing whatever drugs were available to her --
she wanted to go to treatment.

So, Carren Clem did.

"After 21 days in that program, I was ready to go back (to drugs)," she said.

Carren Clem was fortunate in that her parents were able to sell their
cars and house to foot the $100,000 bill to send her to a year-long
treatment program -- she's been clean for 2 1/2 years.

But many Montanans aren't so fortunate, Attorney General Mike McGrath
told the group Tuesday, and meth continues to permeate Montana
communities at an alarming rate.

The premise behind the Meth Free Montana initiative is to battle that
epidemic on every level, beginning with community members themselves.

The most obvious line of defense against the drug is law enforcement,
according to McGrath.

The recent inclusion of Montana in the federal High Intensity Drug
Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program has freed up funds to purchase
better equipment for handling meth labs at the State Crime Lab --
scientists processed 95 labs last year.

Also the acceptance into the HIDTA program has forged a strong
partnership among local, state and federal drug investigators to
tackle the problem.

"The criminal justice system alone cannot deal with Montana's meth
problem," McGrath said.

That led McGrath to emphasize that treatment is an integral factor in
coping with the meth problem and its social implications in Montana
communities.

He said three residential treatment homes for addicted women and
their children are currently operating in the state, but more funding
is needed to help meth addicts kick the habit -- 21-day treatment
programs aren't cutting it.

Perhaps the first line of defense, though, is Montana citizens who
need to be able to recognize the indicators of drug use or drug
production in their areas. Beyond that, they need to be responsible
enough to report those activities.

"Meth is different," McGrath warned. "There's never been anything
like it before in Montana."

Helena Police Chief Troy McGee and Sheriff Cheryl Liedle echoed
McGrath's comments, and added that the Helena area isn't immune to
the effects of meth.

A hunter stumbled on a cooler filled with the waste from a meth cook
just last weekend, according to Liedle.

And last month, a 13-year-old girl brought meth that she alleges she
took from her parents to school with her, said McGee.

Liedle encouraged members of the community to get involved, to do
their part to stymie the flow of the drug into our neighborhoods.

"Is it a battle worth fighting?" Ron Clem asked the group. "I think so."