METH STILL RAMPANT, BUT OFF THE FRONT PAGE

In a speech Sheriff Jackie Matheny made to the Noon Exchange Club Monday,
he said hardly a day goes by where he doesn't receive a phone call
pertaining to meth. Whether it's a tip about a possible lab, or a concerned
parent worried sick about their child, the sheriff said meth is tearing at
the fabric of families and this community.

We should all remember how powerful a grip this drug can have, and how
widespread its use has become. Just because meth doesn't dominate headlines
the way it once did doesn't mean it's not a problem. Just because finding a
meth lab is no longer an obscure discovery, doesn't mean our meth troubles
have dissolved.

The fact is, the meth problem in Warren County is as bad as ever. It could
be argued the problem has reached epidemic proportions.

Truth is, the drug has almost become commonplace. Meth lab busts seem an
everyday occurrence. There's even one in today's edition on page 5-A.

That meth bust, just like ones before it, shows how the drug has permeated
our community. It's not just the drug of choice for people who are from the
so-called "other side of the tracks." It's not a drug only used by the
poor, or people with a long criminal history.

Meth has proven to be a drug which can be picked up, used, and abused by
anybody from any walk of life. It can be said meth addiction does not
discriminate.

The meth lab bust in Westwood, one of the nicer neighborhoods in
McMinnville, illustrates how anyone can fall into meth's clutches.

What can be done to fight this problem, this widespread addiction? Local
stores have joined in the battle by taking products used for making meth
off shelves. Customers who wish to purchase these products must ask for
them at the register or at the pharmacy and quantity is limited.

That would go a good way toward winning the fight if such restrictions
weren't primarily in Warren County. Such policies are likely unheard of in
big cities like Nashville and Chattanooga which means addicts are
inconvenienced - but not prevented - from buying some ingredients in bulk.

Sheriff Matheny says a multi-agency task force, which utilizes federal,
state and local agencies, is one thing officers are eyeing to combat meth.
It will allow prosecutors to go after meth producers on the federal level,
thereby handing more jail time to offenders.

An easy solution is by no means on the horizon. The process will take time
and the battle will be difficult to win.

But identifying the problem - and realizing meth can affect anyone from any
family - will go a long way toward working for a solution. Meth isn't a
drug problem which has to impact other people. It's an addiction with the
power to creep into any one of our homes.