CALIF. COUNTY SENDS LOUD MESSAGE ABOUT METH

As drug-related arrests continue to drop in Shasta County, officials are
launching an aggressive campaign to educate more people about
methamphetamine and its effects.

A revamped Web site, two billboards, posters and public service
announcements highlight the fresh approach, Shasta County District Attorney
McGregor Scott said Tuesday.

"We want people to know the realities of the drug," said Scott, who
spearheaded the Shasta County Methamphetamine Task Force.

And the new message is clear through striking, sometimes disturbing displays.

"That smell next door can kill you ... This is meth," reads a model for one
of the billboards.

"Fever, paranoia, convulsions, panic, depression ... did we mention death?"
reads a poster picturing a woman clutching her head in agony.

The billboards will be placed along Interstate 5. The posters will be
distributed to businesses and schools. About 10,000 envelope stuffers will
be offered to businesses for distribution with employees' paychecks. And
another 1,000 bookmarks promoting the Web site are being produced.

All express the new theme: "This is meth."

"We did feel a need to come up with a new theme to make sure our message is
not being forgotten or ignored," said Frank Strazzarino, president and
chief executive of the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce.

The Web site, meanwhile, now includes facts and statistics about meth, the
task force's first annual report, a sample drug policy for businesses and a
list of drug treatment programs, among other information.

The new publicity is a plus, Strazzarino said.

"I think what it projects is an extremely positive effort to address a
community problem," he said. "We don't want to be in denial. We don't want
to cover up the fact that we have above-average drug use in our community."