METH CASES ON THE RISE IN COUNTY

Even before she took the helm of Appalachian Counseling, where 80 to
90 percent of the people in the agency's substance abuse program are
seeking treatment for methamphetamine addictions, Jane Ferguson knew
how devastating the drug could be.

An aunt, who had lived with her family for many years, killed herself
in the early 1970s after struggling for nearly 30 years with a meth
addiction. Later, the drug "decimated" the southern Illinois town
where she grew up.

"When I moved here in 2000, nobody knew what it was," Ferguson said.

The year before, in 1999, Henderson County Sheriff's deputies
investigated six meth cases, seizing $3,855 worth of the drug.

These days, the problem is too epidemic to ignore.

Last year, the county saw 122 meth cases and seized $201,722. From
January through June of this year, deputies have already worked 67
meth cases and seized $220,425. The drug accounts for 80 to 85
percent of the county's drug complaints, said Lt. Steve Carter, head
of the Sheriff's Department's narcotics division.

"More significant seizures, more weight -- that's the trend thus far," he said.

The area has seen at least two meth-related deaths this year.

The body of 38-year-old Lori Lynn Moore was found March 21 beneath a
railroad trestle near First Avenue. Polk County jail inmate Franklin
Donald McMahan Jr., 43, died Feb. 22 at St. Luke's Hospital.
Autopsies determined that both deaths were caused by meth overdoses.

The highly addictive stimulant has effects similar to cocaine but is
cheaper and lasts longer. Made from a combination of cold medicine
and toxic household chemicals, meth can be "cooked" anywhere but
usually in rural areas, its ingredients highly flammable and costly
to clean up.

In the past year, state legislators have toughened penalties for
meth-related offenses. Currently, the House is considering
legislation passed in the Senate that would regulate cold medicines
containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, key ingredients in meth.

But many community leaders say its not enough, and not happening fast enough.

They've begun taking matters into their own hands.

Task Force Forms

In May, 20 educators, social workers, counselors, nurses, law
enforcement officers and business professionals formed Henderson
County's Methamphetamine Task Force.

Organized by Ferguson, the group will develop protocols for agencies
that deal with meth users, as well as methods to increase public
awareness, education, training, prevention and treatment.

The task force, split into two subcommittees, has planned two
meetings this month. The protocol committee will hold its first
meeting at noon, July 19, in the Mountain Laurel training room off
Fleming Street. The public awareness committee will meet at noon
Monday at Appalachian Counseling.

Organizers are seeking legislators, firefighters, paramedics,
doctors, business people, school officials and others affected by
meth use to join the task force.

Course Of Treatment

Ferguson said she's hoping the task force's work will yield more
educational programs and treatment options for those affected by meth.

"We need all we can get," she said.

Currently, meth addicts have few places to turn for help. For those
who wind up in jail, Henderson County has no drug treatment program,
while the state prison system's program isn't aimed specifically at
meth. For other users, treatment at a private facility can be costly
and out of reach, especially when meth has cost them their job,
education or family.

Starting Aug. 1, Appalachian Counseling plans to launch a
meth-specific treatment program. The intensive program includes
individual, family and group counseling sessions six days a week,
plus psychological and behavioral treatment, frequent drug screenings
and classes on meditation, nutrition, exercise and recreation.

"With meth users, the more they have (to do), the easier it is for
them to stay out of trouble," Ferguson said. "The more days we see
them the better."

The cost of the program is based on a person's income. The agency has
room for up to 20 participants, with 10 people signed up as of
Friday, Ferguson said. Treatment lasts from six to 18 months,
depending on each participant's needs, she said.

MORE WORK, LIMITED RESOURCES

As long as meth and its ingredients remain readily available, law
enforcement officials predict increasing costs to society.

In Polk County, where police busted four meth labs in 2004, the
Sheriff's Department averages one meth-related complaint a day and
one meth-related arrest a week, said Capt. Chris Beddingfield, chief
detective for the department.

The agency lacks an investigator whose sole responsibility is drug
cases. Beddingfield said he thinks meth manufacturers target rural
areas like Polk County because they know law enforcement agencies
have fewer resources to combat the problem.

Henderson County will gain two additional resources this year. In its
2005-06 budget, the Board of Commission approved two drug detectives
for the Sheriff's Department. It's the first new staff added to the
narcotics division since 1993, giving the agency a total of six
investigators, Carter said.

The additions are much-needed, as the explosive growth of meth has
meant more responsibilities for the drug unit, he said. On request,
detectives are providing meth awareness training to school officials,
firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses and other law enforcement
officials, teaching them how to recognize meth users and manufacturers.

In the past year, Carter said, detectives have given more than one
such seminar a month.