Treatment, not fear tactics needed to combat meth

Regarding the Kootenai County Meth Project, I offer several comments. I spent between 1991 and 2001 working for a government agency in another state trying to deal with methamphetamine's impact on the community.

The $2.8 million about to be spent on a prevention program designed to "shock and awe" and "scared straight" programs. The federal government and many states have bombarded the country with messages about the harm drug use for the last 35 years. Overall, there appears to be very little documented evidence that public service "don't do it" messages are changing most people's behavior.

The reported "evidence" of Montana's success, as indicated by workplace drug testing, has nothing to do with a media blitz and everything to do with fear of losing one's job. Moreover, the target populations (youth versus working adults) are not the same. This seems to be a case of those forgetting the past being doomed to repeating it.

Targeted early intervention program, particularly school based, which provide counseling to those youth who have started to use drugs, are more effective than scared straight shotgun media approaches. Debbie Field, head of Idaho's Office of Drug Policy, reported receiving "hundreds of telephone messages on her office answering machine from addicts struggling with meth addiction." Wouldn't it be nice if someone in her office could actually answer the phone and make available to these people the treatment services they so desperately want. The best way to prevent a 12-year-old from using drugs is to ensure that they and their drug-addicted parents get the services they need.

KEN WILLINGER, Ph.D.

Sagle