February 13, 2000

To: Rowan County Community Leaders
 

Re: Methamphetamine Alert

It is of  particularly concern to read of the recent arrest of Larry and Angela Rowland for various charges associated with the distribution of methamphetamine.  While hearty congratulations are in order to the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department for helping make this important arrest, I fear the large quantity seized marks the beginning of a plague that is descending upon our community- one in which we are ill prepared to combat and will add to rather than replace the significant problems we already have with crack cocaine and other drugs.
I have been tracking it for the past year. Despite forewarning it continues its inexorable march eastward finding many young people in rural communities easy prey. Tragically, they seem to be unaware or unconcerned by the tremendous damage it will do to their bodies. Nor do they realize that once addicted, most users frequently share needles and risk other life threatening illnesses like AIDS and Hepatitis C . Its victims become psychotic, paranoid and violent with users often digging at their skin, trying to get at "crank bugs" -- imaginary insects they think are crawling just under the surface of their gaunt bodies.
Communities then suffer greatly responding to the effects of this drug. Substance abuse treatment centers become overwhelmed. Felony arrest rates double or triple. Special clean up squads have to be created to dismantle deadly and highly explosive meth labs. Court calendars are clogged and jails overflow. Social Services contend with the discarded or endangered children of meth addicts and/or “cooks”. Farmers must become vigilant as their land becomes hazardous dumping grounds for the highly toxic chemical sludge by-products that are produced. Some rental housing become serious health hazards as meth “cooks” move from house to house hoping to keep a step or two ahead of the law.
Sadly, I have not read any articles depicting success in turning the tide against meth. California, the first state to be inundated with it, remains overwhelmed despite receiving huge sums of money from the Federal government. Ditto for many other states like Montana, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Consequently, this leads me to believe that the only way to spare our community this scourge is by prevention and public education programs. We must find some way to convince our youth that this drug is extremely dangerous. Parents, teachers and community leaders need to be alert to its dangers. Law enforcement and other government entities must act with urgency to seize meth labs and quickly arrest these awful people who manufacture and distributing this poison.
I realize that it is difficult to visualize the plague of methamphetamine on the strength of one small article buried in a sea of other small town news of the Salisbury Post. However, if you can spend a little time exploring the links on the attached web-page you should come away greatly alarmed. Our community is just like all those other communities. Once established, we are doomed to be forever fighting it. That will be a terrible shame that can be avoided if we can somehow collectively prepare for its onslaught. Sadly, that is a virtue few communities possess.
In conclusion, if you have read this far and I have at least alerted you to the dangers of meth then I have accomplished my goal. However, I hope far more can be accomplished. At a minimum, a community coalition should  be formed. In some parts of the country coalitions have become effective organizations in fighting substance abuse. As far as I know, we do not have an on-going coalition but I greatly encourage one to be formed. It’s better now than later!
        Sincerely

        Mike Jones

Methamphetamine links

PS: I also monitor other abused substances (both legal and illegal) and when possible place links  to pertinent information that can be accessed at www.tommyjones.org