ILLEGAL DRUG PROBLEM MAY BE GETTING WORSE

This week, Oct. 21-25, is "Red Ribbon Week," is the annual drug abuse
prevention observance which is recognized by schools throughout the nation.

Students wearing red ribbons this week are a reminder of the importance of
drug abuse prevention, especially among our youth. But, they are also a
reminder of the serious drug problem that exists in Hope and Hempstead
County.

According to Prosecuting Attorney Randy Wright, "We like every county in
rural Arkansas are saturated with illegal drugs. The biggest problem is
methamphetamine. We are a methamphetamine hotbed."

When asked about the severity of the methamphetamine problem, Hempstead
County Sheriff Jerry Crane said, "the "meth" problem is getting worse
instead of better."

"There is still a lot of crack cocaine and marijuana around, but they have
to be brought in from somewhere else. They are not as available as 'meth,'"
Wright said.

Lieutenant Mike Burrus of the Hope Police Department said that the drug
situation in the City of Hope is a little better than it has been in the
past. "We are working aggressively to curtail it in the City," Burrus said.
"The biggest problems are with crack cocaine and marijuana. 'Meth' is not as
big a problem inside the city."

The reason methamphetamine is so available in Hempstead County is that it
can be made locally. According to Wright, "you can have a 'meth' lab in the
trunk of a car or a motel room. They are easy to set up and move around."

Methamphetamine is relatively easy to make. "People can find the directions
for making 'meth' on the internet," Sheriff Crane said. According to Wright,
"most of the ingredients are available locally."

"Local merchants need to be alert to anyone purchasing large quantities of
'meth' ingredients like matches, iodine, starter fluid, red lye and
ephedrine based cold or allergy medicines," Wright said.

Wright cautioned residents to "call authorities if they notice the smell of
ether in the neighborhood or large quantities of 'meth' ingredients, coffee
filters and gallon milk jugs in the trash."

"Methamphetamine is not a recreational drug," Wright said. "It is highly
addictive. People don't know how to get off of it, and the prolonged effect
is so much more devastating than other drugs."

"To get off 'meth' the rehabilitation program has to be at least 12-18
months and may include in-patient treatment or definitely day to day
outpatient treatment," Wright said."

"We are hopeful that with the startup of our new Drug Court we will be able
to do more rehabilitation and send fewer people off to prison," Wright said.

"Drugs are not limited to any age group. They touch all aspects of society,
all ages and all classes of people," said Burrus.

Sheriff Crane said, "the bottom line is that it's up to each individual to
make a choice. All they have to do is say no to drugs."