AGENCIES TO CONVERGE ON METH SUMMIT IN GREAT BEND

Law enforcement, along with local social and prevention agencies,
will come together Tuesday in Great Bend to discuss statewide
awareness of methamphetamine and its impact in Kansas.

The summit, which is hosted by the Kansas Task Force addressing
methamphetamine and illegal drugs, will feature speakers who have
become the frontrunners for meth research, clandestine lab
investigations and treatment of meth addictions.

Juliene Maska, who is responsible for staffing the drug task force,
said the importance of the summit helps educate agencies about the
prevalence of meth in their areas and effective ways to combat it.

She said about 80 percent of meth in the state is imported from
Mexico and often is trafficked in rural sectors of Kansas
communities.

Maska said the summit also has break-out sessions for agencies that
want to learn about the treatment options for meth addicts and law
enforcement that will learn how to effectively recognize and stop
meth production/distribution.

Finney County Sheriff Kevin Bascue said he has attended meth summits
in the past, adding it provides a perspective law enforcement doesn't
get to see.

For one hour, the audience gets to hear from a panel of former meth
users who speak openly about how they got caught up in the addiction,
coming to terms with treatment and how they beat it, Maska said.

"Often people think no one can be treated," she said. "They think no
one can be saved once they become addicted to meth. That's not true."

Bascue said he remembers the story of a panelist who had lost the
custody of her children because of her meth addiction.

"We need to educate the public about this drug, and we need to find
treatment that will successfully beat the addiction," Bascue said.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., with the panel of former meth users
telling their stories at 9 a.m.

The luncheon speaker for the summit is Kansas Attorney General Paul
Morrison, who will address the audience about the impact of imported
and manufactured meth in the state, as well as update the crowd about
the newly formed Southwest Kansas Drug Task force.

The task force was developed in September and consists of 24 law
enforcement agencies in 14 counties, including the Kansas Bureau of
Investigation and the Office of Attorney General.

Ashley Anstaett, spokeswoman for the attorney general's office, said
the mission of the task force is to reduce and deter drug
trafficking, deal with importation and manufacturing, lessen the
availability of illegal drugs in the region and address the issues
related to children found in dangerous environments associated with
drug crimes.

Area agencies involved in the task force include: Finney County
Sheriff's Office, Garden City Police Department, Grant County
Sheriff's Office, Ulysses Police Department, Gray County Sheriff's
Office, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Haskell County Sheriff's
Office, Kearny County Sheriff's Office, Stanton County Sheriff's
Office, Stevens County Sheriff's Office, Hugoton Police Department
and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Marci Smith, assistant director for the 25th Judicial District Youth
Services, said five people from the agency will be attending the summit.

Smith said the summit helps staff recognize the signs of meth use and
the behaviors associated with the addiction.

She said among the youth who come through the agency, many still
choose marijuana as the first drug of choice, though meth and cocaine
users are becoming more prominent.

Previous summits have been held in Topeka, Salina and Wichita.