MAKING A MOVE ON METH

Methamphetamine addiction has become commonplace in the state of Wisconsin.
Use is rampant in the northern and western parts of the state, and law
enforcement officials have predicted that it will become easy to obtain
statewide within three years. In fact, a methamphetamine lab was recently
discovered in Madison.

Understandably, state officials would like to get the problem under control
before it reaches epidemic proportions. There is legislation in the works
that would limit access to pseudoephedrine, a main component in many
leading cold medicines but also the active ingredient in meth itself.

Officials are exploring two options. The first is that pharmacists
themselves hand out products containing pseudoephedrine. The second is
putting a cap on the amount of pseudoephedrine-containing products a
consumer could buy at one time.

Both options would create obstacles for meth suppliers. Either measure
would be welcome by virtually all sectors. Even Pfizer-which makes Sudafed,
a cold medicine containing pseudoephedrine-supports the passage of such
measures.

However, though restricting access to pseudoephedrine might help curb meth
production, it does not address the root cause of the problem.
Methamphetamines have been called the "rural crack" because often users are
poor and see little prospect for their futures. In order to decrease meth
addiction, it is important to pay attention to those who would be most
likely to use and create programs that would deter its use.

Furthermore, the way the government approaches drug education could be a
contributing factor to the surge in meth use. Children are taught, through
programs like DARE, that all drugs will have the same detrimental effect.
When they discover that, a drink or a joint does not carry with it the
horrible consequences they have been taught, their attitude toward more
serious drugs such as meth might become lax as well.

But meth can cause far more harm than marijuana, alcohol and even "harder"
drugs such as cocaine. One hit of meth can cause a permanent deterioration
in a person's brain capacity, and addiction is highly possible even for
first-time users.

In order to prevent a methamphetamine epidemic, Wisconsin must address the
root causes of addiction. Stop-gap measures such as those proposed might
temporarily decrease supply, but until the causes of meth addiction are
addressed, little can be done to prevent its spread.