GOVERNOR ASKED TO ESCALATE METH WAR

KINGMAN - Not even once.

That is Montana's year-old campaign slogan to reduce the first-time
use of methamphetamine.

Mohave County supervisors approved Monday sending a letter to Gov.
Janet Napolitano to adopt Montana's hard-hitting anti-methamphetamine
program, the Montana Meth Project.

Napolitano will be in Bullhead City Friday to hold a forum on the
dangers of meth use in this state.

Dist. 3 Sup. Buster Johnson said it would cost about $5.3 million to
start a similar program in Arizona.

Johnson also showed a 10-minute video on the Montana Meth Project,
aimed at stopping juveniles ages 12-17 from using meth before they start.

That project, which began in Montana in February 2005, focuses on
three goals; public service messages, public policy and community action.

More than 33 percent of Montana youth have been offered meth, the
number one culprit of violent crimes in that state, the hard-hitting
video showed.

Graphic, disturbing television ads show the horrors and dangers of
using meth. The ads depict teen-agers promising to use it just once
then being hooked.

Meth is so addicting that even using the drug once or twice almost
guarantees a life time of misery and sorrow.

Billboards along Montana's highways show what happens to those who
use meth including trips to jail, hospitals or morgues.

Radio announcements relate tales of actual meth users who spoke of
rotting teeth, loss of hair and picking at skin sores, the video showed.

The program also airs ads on the Internet where about 75 percent of
Montana youth get information about meth.

The project would team state, local and federal agencies including
the governor's office, the attorney general's office and law
enforcement agencies to fight the drug war.

Montana's project also mobilizes community groups across that state
in education and prevention programs to tell people about the dangers of meth.

Montana also seeks public involvement by accepting donations to help
fund radio, newspaper and television advertising.

Mohave County has seen a steadily increase in the use of meth despite
a decrease in the number of meth labs.

Bullhead City, Kingman and other cities in Arizona have recently
passed laws restricting the purchase of over-the-counter drugs such
as pseudoephedrine at local pharmacists.

State lawmakers are trying to pass a similar law in Arizona to cover
areas outside of city limits.

Pseudoephedrine and ephedrine are main ingredients used to make
methamphetamine, the drug directly or indirectly responsible for the
majority of violent crimes.