Stadium High School students recently got a wakeup call about the dangers of methamphetamine (meth) during a recent matter-of-fact presentation led by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna.
McKenna didnâ??t pull any punches and presented all the information straight-up to the students. He described meth as the â??most addictive and most destructive drug ever.
â??Itâ??s having a real impact on our state,â?? McKenna noted.
Meth use drives up crime, according to McKenna, including burglary, car theft and identity theft; he believes meth is responsible for Washington ranking as the state with the ninth most identity theft. Washington also ranks on the list of the top 10 states with the most meth use.
During his remarks, McKenna also emphasized meth doesnâ??t just affect young people and adults, but children as well. In Washington state, he said, thereâ??s been a 62 percent increase in foster cases and many children have to be removed from â??horrible situations,â?? including, homes with meth labs.
Pierce County is known as the meth capital of Washington. However, McKenna said, the number of meth labs has been decreasing over the years. In 2000, he noted, there were more than 2,000, and now there are fewer than 350 â?? a change he credited to the Community Meth Action Teams. Though progress has been made, McKenna feels there is still a long way to go in â??battling this problem.â??
The underlying message to students from McKenna is for them to never try meth, not even once. â??Itâ??s a very tough addiction to break,â?? he said, adding individuals get addicted after their first experience with meth.
This fact was echoed by Travis Talbot from â??Lead on America,â?? a nonprofit anti-drug organization. â??Meth is one of the most addictive drugs out there,â?? he stated. â??Meth is at epidemic proportions in our nation, and itâ??s one of the most growing epidemics.
â??It affects absolutely everyone,â?? he told the auditorium full of high school students. â??It does not discriminate.â??
Sometimes, according to Talbot, individuals take meth without even realizing it, because â??it gets packaged in a lot of different ways.â?? He said meth is known as a party drug or a weight-1oss drug or something students can take to stay up all night.
â??The problem with meth is that it will grab you and not let you go,â?? Talbot remarked.
Stadium students got to hear this firsthand from a 22-year-old former meth addict, who was a habitual user for five years. Â
The students were also shown a video that depicted the brain damage meth can do. â??The damage you do with meth is damage you do for a lifetime,â?? Talbot commented.
The Stadium presentation was part of McKennaâ??s â??Operation: Allied Against Meth,â?? which he launched in May 2005. Since the programâ??s inception, McKenna has visited 30 different schools, reaching more than 20,000 students.
Stadium Principal Jon Kellett said he hoped students took away valuable information that they will pass on to others. The presentation touched at least one student at Stadium who was so emotionally distraught following it that counselors were brought in to help. Kellett said the student was going to be fine, but the message of the dangers of meth hit close to home for her. Â
McKenna also recently visited Bremerton High School. He visits 16 schools each school year.
For more information about the Attorney Generalâ??s anti-meth strategy, visit www.atg.wa.gov/AlliedAgainstMeth/default.aspx.
