There Is Progress Against Meth, but the Problem Is Still Huge
Rep. Walz: "If we don't take care of these things now, we'll pay for them later."
by Leigh Pomeroy
Mankato, Minnesota
It was an impressive speaker list: State Senator Julie Rosen, DFL-Fairmont; Ramsey County Attorney and presumptive gubernatorial candidate Susan Gaertner; State Gang and Drug Force Coordinator Bob Bushman; Statewide Meth Coordinator Chuck Noerenberg. All had gathered at the Midwest Wireless Civic Center in Mankato Tuesday morning at the behest of Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., to discuss the progress and challenges of dealing with the methamphetamine problem in rural Minnesota.
The news they delivered was both good and bad. The bad news: Meth still remains one of the major problems for law enforcement and social services in Minnesota, one that costs the state in terms of violent crime, financial and property crime, child abuse and neglect, and taxpayer dollars. According to the Revealing Meth in Minnesota website put up by the Minnesota County Attorneys Association:
All the presenters stressed that the meth problem was not just about crime, but about the devastation it has on families and communities. Several panelists noted that unlike other types of substance abuse, meth is as far as the sexes are concerned an equal opportunity destroyer. There are nearly as many female users as there are male, which makes the addiction even more devastating since women are the principal family caretakers.
It also creates havoc in other ways. State Gang and Drug Force Coordinator Bob Bushman said that some people like to claim that drugs are a victimless crime, "but if you've ever seen a baby born addicted to meth, you know that's not true."
Yet there is good news about the problem as well. Jeff Hunsberger of the Minnesota Department of Human Services noted that meth use declined in 2006 after steadily rising from 2000 through 2005.
Dealing with the problem requires a multi-pronged approach of treatment, prevention, and education as well as law enforcement. "We're not going to arrest our way out of the drug problem," said State Gang and Drug Force Coordinator Bob Bushman.
Hunsberger noted that even the most conservative studies say that $1.33 is returned to the taxpayer for every $1 spent on drug treatment programs; some studies say that return is actually much higher. "We need to look at the total picture, including mental health," said Sen. Rosen.
She pointed out that Minnesota has been a national leader in applying a broad-based approach to the problem. When the state began to craft legislation to deal with meth several years ago, "we were pretty much all by ourselves," she said. Other states were also coping with the crisis, but there was no legislative model. Minnesota passed its first methamphetamine law in 2005, and since then the rest of the country has been looking to Minnesota as a leader.
Rep. Tim Walz, who moderated the panel, let the panelists do the talking. But the fact that his office set up the event points out that the problem requires a multi-level governmental approach. While counties deal with the meth problem most directly through law enforcement and social services, the state provides information, coordination and funding, and the federal government provides the majority of funding.
Rosen and Walz spoke of the need to pass legislation at both state and federal levels to provide enough money to tackle the problem on all fronts. Bushman pointed out that the meth problem transcends party lines.
The Minnesota County Attorneys Association offers a DVD for only $5 (for shipping and handling) about the meth problem to anyone who requests it. The DVD can be ordered at revealingmeth.com.
by Leigh Pomeroy
Mankato, Minnesota
It was an impressive speaker list: State Senator Julie Rosen, DFL-Fairmont; Ramsey County Attorney and presumptive gubernatorial candidate Susan Gaertner; State Gang and Drug Force Coordinator Bob Bushman; Statewide Meth Coordinator Chuck Noerenberg. All had gathered at the Midwest Wireless Civic Center in Mankato Tuesday morning at the behest of Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., to discuss the progress and challenges of dealing with the methamphetamine problem in rural Minnesota.
The news they delivered was both good and bad. The bad news: Meth still remains one of the major problems for law enforcement and social services in Minnesota, one that costs the state in terms of violent crime, financial and property crime, child abuse and neglect, and taxpayer dollars. According to the Revealing Meth in Minnesota website put up by the Minnesota County Attorneys Association:
- 90% of financial crimes investigated by the Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force are connected to either meth or crack abuse
- 69% of Minnesota counties report that child protection cases have increased due to meth abuse
- the societal cost of meth to Minnesota taxpayers has topped $130 million annually
All the presenters stressed that the meth problem was not just about crime, but about the devastation it has on families and communities. Several panelists noted that unlike other types of substance abuse, meth is as far as the sexes are concerned an equal opportunity destroyer. There are nearly as many female users as there are male, which makes the addiction even more devastating since women are the principal family caretakers.
It also creates havoc in other ways. State Gang and Drug Force Coordinator Bob Bushman said that some people like to claim that drugs are a victimless crime, "but if you've ever seen a baby born addicted to meth, you know that's not true."
Yet there is good news about the problem as well. Jeff Hunsberger of the Minnesota Department of Human Services noted that meth use declined in 2006 after steadily rising from 2000 through 2005.
Dealing with the problem requires a multi-pronged approach of treatment, prevention, and education as well as law enforcement. "We're not going to arrest our way out of the drug problem," said State Gang and Drug Force Coordinator Bob Bushman.
Hunsberger noted that even the most conservative studies say that $1.33 is returned to the taxpayer for every $1 spent on drug treatment programs; some studies say that return is actually much higher. "We need to look at the total picture, including mental health," said Sen. Rosen.
She pointed out that Minnesota has been a national leader in applying a broad-based approach to the problem. When the state began to craft legislation to deal with meth several years ago, "we were pretty much all by ourselves," she said. Other states were also coping with the crisis, but there was no legislative model. Minnesota passed its first methamphetamine law in 2005, and since then the rest of the country has been looking to Minnesota as a leader.
Rep. Tim Walz, who moderated the panel, let the panelists do the talking. But the fact that his office set up the event points out that the problem requires a multi-level governmental approach. While counties deal with the meth problem most directly through law enforcement and social services, the state provides information, coordination and funding, and the federal government provides the majority of funding.
Rosen and Walz spoke of the need to pass legislation at both state and federal levels to provide enough money to tackle the problem on all fronts. Bushman pointed out that the meth problem transcends party lines.
The Minnesota County Attorneys Association offers a DVD for only $5 (for shipping and handling) about the meth problem to anyone who requests it. The DVD can be ordered at revealingmeth.com.
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