COUNTY PLANS METH SUMMIT TO HELP CURB EPIDEMIC

Gathering Tentatively Planned For February; Event To Focus On Sharing
Information About Meth

Helping Clatsop County "take ownership" of the local methamphetamine
problem is the goal of a "meth summit" now in the planning stages.

The gathering, tentatively planned for February 2006, is designed to bring
local officials, drug experts and county citizens together for a one-or
two-day event focused on sharing information about the growing problem and
brainstorming ways to fight it, according to Clatsop County Administrator
Scott Derickson.

Such summits have been held in a number of other Oregon communities as
"grass-roots responses to a problem that appears to be a growing epidemic,"
and have been received positively by participants, he said.

"From the responses I've seen, the summit is effective," he said.

The format and list of participants is still being put together, Derickson
said. Organizers are considering a one-day, all-day event or one spanning
two evenings. Grant funding to help pay for the event is also being sought.

"To tackle this, it requires real community engagement and real community
problem-solving," he said.

More on Meth

Wednesday, The Daily Astorian begins a three-day series highlighting the
problems of methamphetamine abuse in Clatsop County. The series in the
newspaper will feature stories about the issue, and there will be visual
and audio features on the paper's Web site at www.dailyastorian.co