METH PROBLEM NEEDS SERIOUS, IMMEDIATE RESPONSE FROM STATE

Dear Editor:

The use of methamphetamine in Wisconsin is a growing problem
that is not going to just go away.

The number of cases in the Chippewa Valley soared from nine in 2003 to
80 in 2004 and statewide jumped from 314 in 2003 to 545 last year.
"This is not like other drugs. Nobody's getting off this drug without
legitimate treatment," says Shawna Kovach, director of L.E. Phillips,
a treatment center in Chippewa Falls.

Wisconsin needs to take immediate action to prevent the use of meth
from escalating beyond control by taking multiple steps, including:

. Mounting a broad-based, grass-roots prevention campaign to inform
both adults and children on the dangers of meth use.

. Increasing treatment access by providing health insurance parity for
substance abuse treatment.

. Increasing the meth treatment capacity in the communities and
correctional facilities throughout the state.

. Developing a treatment program in the state for meth that is based
on the "therapeutic community" model that has been used in other parts
of the nation successfully. Therapeutic communities are highly
structured residential programs with planned lengths of stay ranging
from six to 12 months, or more. They focus on re-socializing people to
a drug-free, crime-free lifestyle by using the program's other
residents, staff and the social context as active components of treatment.

. Increasing the investment in law enforcement to stop meth dealers
and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent to prevent the
endangerment of other individuals.

Meth has now become a major drug problem in rural America and is the
fastest-growing drug threat in the nation. The choices that Wisconsin
makes when dealing with this terrifying drug will affect our future
for years to come.

SANDRA MCANANY

Norwalk