STATE MUST PROVIDE MORE METH TREATMENT

Police found Diane Hedalen dead on the bedroom floor of her Burnsville
apartment this week. Her throat had been slit, allegedly by her
nephew, Derrek Hopkins, who police claim was hopped up on
methamphetamine at the time and cut his aunt's throat to get her to
shut up after she called him a "fake." He also allegedly broke her
wrist and several ribs. The details of the grisly crime point out the
very real violence often associated with meth addiction, a scourge
that is sweeping Minnesota and Wisconsin. Meth is anything but a
victimless crime, and Diane Hedalen's death is indicative of how
violent that crime can be.

Legislation to provide more treatment for Minnesota's growing
population of meth-addicted prisoners and parolees is languishing at
the Capitol, along with other bonding bill issues. We'll leave it to
the Legislature to sort out the details, but there is clearly no
shortage of proposals aimed at addressing a very real - and often
times violent - problem.

Doubters of meth's growing menace need look no further than a recent
study from the Hazelden Foundation, which found that meth addicts
account for 9.5 percent of patients admitted to metro drug-treatment
programs. That's up from 7.5 percent just a year ago and 2.9 percent
in 1998. In other words, the problem has multiplied threefold in a
relatively short period of time. The study also found that about 18.3
percent of those receiving treatment are 17 or younger.

While Minnesota has recognized the problem, increased funding for
treatment programs has been problematic, but longer prison terms have
not. That's put a strain on the Corrections Department. Gov. Tim
Pawlenty has asked for $1.8 million to save the jobs of 14 chemical
dependency counselors, previously funded by the federal government but
since cut. The request is part of a broader request to fund both sex
offender and drug treatment counseling. It has the support of
Corrections Commissioner Joan Fabian, whose staff deals with the
growing meth problem every day. Count us as a supporter of the
proposal as well.

Deputy Commissioner Dennis Benson often notes that of all the
prisoners under his care, about 95 percent are going to eventually get
out. The question is: What kind of parolees do we want going back out
on the streets?

Today, because of limited funding, prisoners serving short sentences
often don't make it to the head of the long line for drug treatment.
As a result, our prisons turn into revolving doors, failing to treat
the inmates base pathologies and almost guaranteeing repeat offenders.

The Legislature would be wise to fund these prison drug-treatment
programs adequately. Otherwise, we'd better get used to reading
stories about gruesome murders like the one that has shocked
Burnsville. One thing is clear: Without proper funding and treatment,
the meth problem isn't going to go away.