ATU, PROJECT TO START METH SURVEY

Through a joint effort of the River Valley Meth Project and two
Arkansas Tech University sociology classes, Pope and surrounding
counties are expected to soon know more about the meth epidemic
sweeping the state and the nation.

Within in next several months, the two Tech classes will be
conducting research, developing surveys, collecting data and writing
reports on the effects of methamphetamine in the Arkansas River Valley.

"We want to alert the community that a survey related to substance
abuse in Pope County will be coming out, and we would like a response
to it to better understand this problem," said Marti Wilkerson, lead
facilitator for the River Valley Meth Project (RVMP) and associate
professor of Rehabilitation Science at Tech.

In the students' second class meeting of the semester last week,
Wilkerson introduced classes to what the meth project has been
focusing on during the last year.

The RVMP is composed of law enforcement authorities, court personnel,
child care professionals, educators, businesses and industries, etc.,
all of whom come in contact with drug-related issues. The goal of the
project is to better understand and treat those affected by meth
while also incorporating them back into society and a healthy environment.

However, Wilkerson explained a consistent problem of the Meth Project
is the lack of funds to conduct research, and unfortunately, the lack
of research to acquire funding.

"The weakness of our project (RVMP) is we do not have a good
knowledge base (of the problem)," she said. "We've really been
struggling with that. ... And we don't have a clue if the work we've
done has effected meth use in our area. ... Because of this lack of
research, there are a lot of unknowns."

Therefore, Wilkerson and two additional Tech professors worked
together to come up with a way the community and two groups of
sociology students could benefit from a collaborative effort that
would not only give the RVMP a vast knowledge base, but would also
give the students practical experience in their chosen field.

"It is extremely exciting that [the professors] are willing to give
[the students] a great learning experience by becoming involved in
our project and our community," Wilkerson told the students.

Through the RVMP and the 5th Judicial District prosecuting attorney's
office, the organization then applied for a $98,000 Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation Grant, along with other funding opportunities, to
help support the research.

The research program titled "Understanding Crystal Methamphetamine
Use: Community Impact and Interventions for Vulnerable Populations"
is expected to yield results by June.

Sheriff: Meth A Tough Drug

After a brief introduction, Pope County Sheriff Jay Winters, who also
serves an integral part of the RVMP, described to the students how
different methamphetamine is from all other drugs he has dealt with
in law enforcement.

"I've been in law enforcement for 40 years," Winters said. "I've
dealt with everything from white lightning and stills, to the time
when marijuana became really popular, to when LSD and heroin started
up. .. But meth has been a real problem for law enforcement because
of all the effects it has.

"There's not a week that goes by I don't have a meth user's mother,
father, grandparent, brother or sister in my office in tears saying,
'Can you please help me?' And it's absolutely devastating," Winters said.

He added the drug users, their friends and family are not the only
ones who suffer when it comes to meth use. He explained Arkansas
spends $10 million every year to treat drug addictions, and if the
issue were solved, that money could be appropriated for another
worthwhile cause.

Winters also told the students how they were getting involved in a
project that he expects will gain national attention.

He explained the deputy director for the National Office of Drug
Control Policy while visiting Arkansas in 2005 commended the people
of the RVMP on the job they were doing, and added no other county or
organization in the United States is working the way Pope County is
to change drug use in the community.

In Friday's Courier: Meth Project receives funding, development
updates during monthly meeting.