SURVEY SAYS UTAH METH ARRESTS DOUBLED LAST YEAR

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah was just one of two states where
methamphetamine-related arrests doubled last year, according to a new
report.

Arkansas was the other state the National Association of Counties
survey of 500 law enforcement agencies identified as having
meth-related arrests go up 100 percent over the past 12 months.

Sgt. Ryan Atack, head of the Salt Lake City police narcotics squad,
said meth use hit epidemic proportions in Utah seven years ago.

"I don't know that it's gotten any worse," he said. "It's still our
No. 1 problem."

Nearly 46 percent of women arrested in Salt Lake City test positive
for meth, according to the National Institute of Justice monitoring
data. The city ranks third highest in the country behind Honolulu and
San Diego.

Among men arrested in Salt Lake City, 26 percent tested positive for
the drug in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available.

Despite the nation's meth problem, the national drug-control policy
focuses on marijuana, which is viewed by some as a gateway drug.

"On the national level, the federal government still considers
marijuana as the No. 1 drug problem in America, but county law
enforcement officials have a different perspective on this ranking,"
according to the National Association of Counties report.

The survey found that 58 percent of the police agencies said meth was
their largest drug problem, and 87 percent reported increases in
meth-related arrests the past three years.

Atack said his team seizes more marijuana each year, but that the drug
does not cause near as many problems as meth.

"We don't see families torn apart. We don't see the violence. We don't
see the robberies and the burglaries," he said. "Meth is definitely
worse on society than (marijuana)."

The association also questioned 303 county child welfare agencies in
13 states. About 40 percent of those agencies said meth abuse accounts
for most children in foster care or other out-of-home placements.
Almost 60 percent said the drug makes family reunification more difficult.

Information from: Deseret Morning News