TAKE METH ADDICTION SERIOUSLY

No one would have blamed Bob Boswell for sending Jennifer Henessee up
the river. She stole cash from his restaurant, frightened his
employees and threw a pretty good scare into him, as well. After all,
the restaurant is his business, his livelihood.

Who wouldn't want to lock up someone like that, throw away the key
and say good riddance?

But instead of hatred, Boswell saw desperation in Henessee's eyes. He
knew she needed help instead of a jail sentence, and he called Weld
District Attorney Ken Buck and wondered if there was anything he
could do to help her.

It turns out there was. She's the first person in the In-Custody
Alternative Placement Program, which kept her out of jail and gave
her a chance to turn her life around with a new baby, due next month.
Buck referred her to Island Grove Regional Treatment Center through
the in-custody program, and she's in the midst of many weeks of
outpatient recovery after a stint in the inpatient program.

This program is a part of the new ways to combat methamphetamine
addiction from the Island Grove Regional Treatment Center, and
they're still desperately needed. In Weld County, 860 individuals
admitted to a meth addiction in 2005 and 650 in 2006, and officials
believe there are many more out there, given that people aren't
exactly marching up to admit they're addicted unless they're caught
by police.

Meth could be the most addictive drug out there, an affordable
temptation that hooks some people the first time they use it, and
finding an effective treatment for it can be frustrating.

We're pleased that Island Grove is willing to put its resources into
a new program that shows promise of working. The new Matrix Model is
a 32-week program. It's longer than other programs, involves families
and has a system to make sure the recovering addicts attend any
court dates.

It seems to us that this is exactly what Weld needs to combat the
problem. Island Grove is showing that officials there are taking the
drug seriously.

As for Boswell, instead of seeking out some personal revenge, he
decided to do something about meth and attack the problem, not the
person.

We want to applaud Boswell, Buck and Island Grove for taking the drug
seriously. It's about time the rest of us did, as well.