DO WE HAVE A METH PROBLEM?

Dear Editor:

Recently there have been several news articles concerning the staggering
meth problem in our state as well as nationwide.

It has been reported Missouri and its adjoining states accounted for more
than half of the meth lab raids and related seizures nationwide last year.
One Missouri sheriff has referred to the problem as an "epidemic."

While the headlines shout a most alarming problem in our state as well as
nationwide, I, like many other Jefferson City residents, have been left
wondering where, if at all, does our city fit into the apparent "epidemic."

A vigilant citizenry can go a long way in helping under-staffed law
enforcement officers in addressing this serious problem. However, to do so,
it would be helpful to know what is happening in our community and country.
Additionally, it would be important for all of us concerned citizens to know
what is happening in those counties contiguous to ours.

When a community does not talk openly about the extent of its drug problem,
there is often a temptation by those not in law enforcement to begin
believing it does not exist in one's own "backyard."

If both Jefferson City and Cole County have escaped the meth scourge to
date, those in-the-know should be letting us citizens know that fact so we
can celebrate, all the while remaining ever so vigilant into the future.

Clyde P. Angle

Jefferson City