METH AWARENESS EVENT PLANNED AT CHS MONDAY

Officials organizing a specially designed conference to raise concerns
regarding illicit production and use of methamphetamine are confident they
will have a large crowd to educate.

"We have been busy passing out flyers, producing media releases and trying
to get the word out," said Rodney Fitzgerald, one of the organizers for the
Community Methamphetamine Awareness Conference.

The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Monday at the Cleveland High
School Commons.

City and county educators will receive credit for in-service activity for
attending the conference.

Local law enforcement drug detectives and agents will present programs on
the narcotic, which is rapidly destroying families and lives within the
community.

Methamphetamine has been coined by narcotics agents, as the "Moonshine of
the New Millennium."

Tenth Judicial Drug Task Force agents, Bradley County Sheriff's Office Drug
Enforcement agents and Special Investigations Unit detectives with the
Cleveland Police Department will discuss how meth is produced and
distributed, and the dangers associated with production and consumption of
the powerful stimulant.

The lethal cocktail of chemicals, precursor to the production of meth, can
be purchased at retail stores. The end result of a cooking process yields a
substantial supply of one of the most deadly narcotics ever invented.

According to local drug agents, only 10 percent of the user population is
able to survive or abstain from using the addictive drug.

The purpose of the meth conference is to inform the general public of the
dangers of meth, along with warning signs displayed by meth cooks and users
of the product.

"You never know where the next meth lab raid or explosion could be ... your
neighborhood ... the next motel room you rent ... on the street corner ...
virtually anywhere," according to organizers.

Organizers said the Community Meth Awareness Conference is open to the
public and encourages everyone to attend. There is no charge for attending
the conference.