COMMUNITY GATHERS TO FIGHT DRUG

More than 250 people - schoolchildren to senior citizens - packed the
fellowship hall at Carson Valley United Methodist Church on Thursday
to learn just how invasive methamphetamine is in Carson Valley.

"We need to link our hands together to protect our children from this
dangerously addictive drug," said Frank Grayshield, representing the
Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

"We're really involved in an effort to create healthier, safer
communities and we can't do it alone," he said.

"Let's Talk About Methamphetamine, An Evening for Family and
Friends," was sponsored by the Partnership of Community Resources,
the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and the Washoe Tribe.

"We don't want to wait until there are drug dealers on every corner,"
said Cheryl Bricker, executive director of the partnership. "We
embrace the concept of the community coming together."

With the sheriff's office Street Enforcement Team, Douglas County
deputies and Tri-Net Narcotics Task Force making almost daily drug
arrests, community members said they were concerned.

"It's not just a law enforcement problem, it's a social problem.
That's why you're here," said Rory Planeta, a task force
investigator.

He took the audience through the highs and lows of methamphetamine
addiction, explaining how easy it is to acquire the drug and the
ultimate cost to the addict and the community.

An addict with a $100-a-day habit can be responsible for up to
$365,000 in stolen property a year to finance the addiction, Planeta
said.

"Our area is a distribution hub for Indiana, Florida and Wyoming with
our proximity to highways 395, 80 and 50," he said.

Planeta ended his presentation with a video showing babies and
toddlers being taken out of homes where methamphetamine was
manufactured.

"I've seen this video 50 times and it bothers me every time," he
said. "I have five kids and five grandchildren. We've got to stop
this stuff.

"People ask me why I worked narcotics so long," said the veteran law
enforcement officer. "It's the kids."

Dawn Hare, a counselor at Scarselli Elementary School, is a licensed
drug and alcohol counselor.

"The problem with methamphetamine addiction is that from the moment
you are addicted, there is no easy way out. It takes two years for
the brain to recover. That's two years of depression, hard work,
crying on your bed," she said.

"This is not a 28-day treatment. People go out, come in, go out and
come in. That's something we need to get across to health insurance
companies."

She encouraged participants to ask retail stores to store
over-the-counter cold medication and other readily available
methamphetamine ingredients behind the counter.

"We do have a lot of power," she said.

Doug Swalm is in charge of Douglas County's Alternative Sentencing
program which strives to keep people with drug convictions or
misdemeanor offenses under supervision but out of jail.

"Without treatment, it's just not going to work," he
said.

Meth addicts who are arrested generally spend 30 days in Douglas
County Jail to detox.

"It takes 30 to 40 days to purge the system," he said. "They need
rest, medical attention and food and they can get all that in jail."

From there, Swalm places inmates in residential programs in Fallon
and Lake Tahoe for a 28-day intensive treatment and up to six months
in transitional programs.

"If they run, violate their probation or use drugs, it starts all
over again. There's quite an incentive to stay with the program,"
Swalm said.

Sheriff Ron Pierini was blunt in his assessment of the extent of
methamphetamine use in Douglas County.

"It's out of control," he said. "In our area, when you arrest people,
there is somebody waiting in line to take their spot."

He urged residents to be vigilant in their own families and in their
neighborhoods.

"We need to make a tough stand," he said. "We need you to report what
needs to be reported.

"We have resources. We're here to help you. We want to help you solve
this issue with us. This has got to stop."

Mary Wolery, a school counselor and a partnership director, said she
was overwhelmed by the turnout.

"It tells me people are concerned," she said. "People are asking
questions, this is where we build the momentum."

She invited residents to join the partnership's methamphetamine
advisory task force.

"That's where the real work gets done," she said.

The task force meets monthly and members include parents, other
community members and representatives of law enforcement, substance
abuse treatment, businesses and schools.

"Everybody is working together to come at this problem. We need more
resources, we need more treatment," she said.

Ten-year-old Nathan Tripp of Carson City attended with his parents
Michael and Lupita.

"Methamphetamine is dangerous to the world," he said. "It needs to be
stopped so we can have a safer world."

Michael Tripp said the information gave him a heightened
awareness.

"I knew it was a bad problem, but now it's more apparent, the
trafficking, what's going on in the neighborhood, in people's
families," he said.

Adelina Osorio and Alfred Durant Sr., brought their 10-year-old son
Alfred Jr. from Woodfords.

"We came for the education, so my son knows right from wrong," she
said.

Alfred, a fifth grader at Diamond Valley School, said the subject of
methamphetamine doesn't come up often among his friends.

"It depends on who he hangs out with," Osorio said. "We watch out
very closely who he is with."

Durant said the information would be educational for the
family.

"It will teach us how to cope if it ever happens and what symptoms to
look for," he said.

Emmanuel Drake, 20, of Smith Valley, and Ashley Borrelli, 16, of
Gardnerville, attended the forum at the invitation of Pastor Leo
Kruger of Valley Christian Fellowship.

"I think I have a lot of knowledge, but this information will help me
be more aware of the people around me," Ashley said.