PUTTING BRAKES ON METH USE

Methamphetamine use in Sampson County is growing by shocking leaps.

The number of clandestine meth labs found in our county in 2005
nearly doubled the amount found in the previous three years.

Sampson County is tied for seventh most labs found in the state and
the highest of any county in N.C. east of Watauga County.

It's destroying families and ruining the lives of young and old
alike. With one hit, addiction can come. With one mistake, death can occur.

Sound frightening? It is.

Methamphetamine, or gas as it is often referred to by users, is
becoming the drug of choice. It's cheap to produce, cheap to buy and
provides a high that keeps you up, sometimes for days on end.

Problem is -- other than the fact that it is illegal and highly
dangerous -- this drug is perhaps one of the fastest to addict a user
and one of the most difficult substances to get a handle on once
addiction happens.

The drug itself can be debilitating, causes great weight loss,
sleeplessness and the usual symptoms -- no inhibitions, often erratic
behavior and little ability to make choices -- that you find when you
take an illegal drug.

Then there's the ingredients, which are easy to buy and easy mix into
the illegal elixir that is luring so many. But it's as explosive as
it is addictive. Mixing the drug -- which can happen in the back of a
car, in an apartment, in a warehouse, just about anywhere -- can be lethal.

But despite all the dangers, it is luring many of our neighbors and
friends into its trap and its changing their lives forever.

We are fortunate in Sampson County to have concerned citizens and
observant neighbors willing to make anonymous calls that alert law
enforcement officers to potential problems. Those calls have resulted
in some arrests and the dismantling of several highly dangerous labs.

We are also fortunate to have caring people from all walks of life
working together to combat the problem and help those who have
already fallen victim to the drug's lure.

The Meth Task Force has as its ultimate goal -- making the public
aware of the adverse effects meth use has and its dangers. And
members are trying to educate us all about the signs of meth use, the
dangers it involves, the help that can be provided, the
rehabilitation that will be needed.

In three weeks, the task force will hold a day-long summit focused on
all those things.

It would serve us all to learn more about this problem and how to
conquer it before it conquers us.

Editor Sherry Matthews