'STATE OF NEGLECT': DRUG TREATMENT KEY

I was glad to read your editorial, "For many kids, Oregon is a state
of neglect."

It's true that we're not making the connections that we need to: If
we're serious about reducing methamphetamine addiction, we have to get
serious about spending more on treatment than on our failed drug war
strategies.

When I wonder about why people aren't making the connection between
treatment and the meth epidemic, I think about what I read in the
paper and hear on the radio. Busting meth labs seems to be more of a
headline grabber than the slow and steady trickle of people moving to
recovery. But what about all the families with an addict who wants to
change but [who finds that] it's easier to get more drugs than to get
into a treatment program? Why isn't that news?

When The Oregonian stops contributing to the sensationalism connected
to meth, maybe then Oregonians will be able to get more realistic
about how to reduce the number of broken families and broken lives
caused by meth addiction.

Kathleen Pequeno, Northeast Portland