METH COSTS GEORGIA 1.3 BILLION

Hall County Superior Court Judge Jason Deal can see the price of
methamphetamine abuse in the faces of the people in his courtroom.

Of the 119 participants in Deal's felony drug court, roughly a third
landed there as a result of methamphetamine charges. Many others
abused meth along with other drugs.

The ill effects seem to be long-lasting, from rotted teeth to scarred
skin that can cause low self-esteem and hinder participants on the
path to self-improvement, Deal said.

"So, even in recovery, many meth users continue to pay a high price
for their drug of choice," Deal said.

The cost of methamphetamine abuse in Georgia, from lost productivity
to treatment to drug-influenced crimes, was $1.32 billion in 2005,
according to a recent study by the RAND Corporation, a
California-based nonprofit think tank. Nationwide, meth use cost the
country $23.5 billion in 2005, according to the report, "The Economic
Cost of Methamphetamine Use in the United States."

"We can say it is a devastating cost, particularly in smaller
communities," said Jim Langford, executive director of the fledgling
nonprofit Georgia Meth Project. "Talk to any sheriff or foster
caregiver and they'll tell you, absolutely these costs are real, and
they're increasing."

Langford said in some North Georgia counties, three-quarters of all
children in foster care are there as a result of their parents' meth
addictions. In northwest Georgia's Gordon County, 100 percent of
foster care is meth-related, Langford said.

In 2008, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration identified
Gainesville, along with Atlanta and Dalton, as a metropolitan area in
Georgia where meth was the fastest-growing drug problem over the last
five years.

Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad Commander Lt. Scott Ware said
meth continues to be the top drug of choice for the people arrested by
his officers.

"It's first, but I would say prescription medication is right up there
with meth now," Ware said.

Georgia ranks third in the nation for teenage meth abusers per capita,
and 51 percent of people entering treatment for meth abuse are between
the ages of 12 and 25, according to the Georgia Division of Public
Health.

The Georgia Meth Project will try to stem this steady flow of
first-time meth users, following in the footsteps of similar
initiatives in Montana and Wyoming.

Those programs used sometimes-graphic and controversial ad campaigns
to hammer home the message of meth's dangers. The results in Montana
were a 50 percent decrease in first-time users after the ads ran, and
another 50 percent decrease following the second ad blitz, Langford
said.

"There have been very consistent, proven results," he
said.

Langford said the new Atlanta-based Georgia Meth Project, which is
funded almost entirely through donations from private corporations,
foundations and individuals, looks to work with grassroot
organizations like the White County Meth Task Force to tailor the
message to the community's needs and offer support for local efforts.

"We want to make sure we're making good use of the resources already
out there," he said.

Langford said the Georgia Meth Project will use polling research to
get a clearer picture of where the state's meth problem stands.

"We get the benchmark data first, then run the ads, then benchmark
again," to measure any results, he said.

After the first round of polling is done and the numbers are compiled,
"the ads could be running as early as this fall," Langford said.