Editorial: State meth use on the rise

Monday, May 1, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

In his Nevada travels during a congressional recess last month, Sen. Harry Reid spoke about the rising use of methamphetamine throughout the state.

At a stop in Pahrump, as reported by the local paper, the Nevada Democrat said, "This scourge of meth is awful. This is a scourge that has affected our kids. It's cheap, it's dirty and it's very powerful. We have to do a better job."

Reid, who is the Senate Minority Leader, was reported as having said the war in Iraq is costing $2 billion a week, and adding, "Can't we spend some of that here for law enforcement to control meth?"

The state government, according to news reports, estimates that 40,000 Nevadans use this drug, whose active ingredient is pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, found in cold medicines. It also contains a mix of toxic substances, which can include battery acid, drain cleaner, lye and antifreeze.

Reid chose a good time to bring attention to meth. Last week the urgency of this issue was brought to the fore by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

In a report using the latest statistics, this federal agency said admissions to drug treatment centers because of meth addictions are rising nationally. Admissions to treatment centers solely because of meth addictions now stand at 8 percent.

The worst news in the report, however, was that Nevada is among seven states where admissions to treatment centers solely because of meth addiction exceed 20 percent. This is consistent with reports from Clark County's Department of Family Services, which says a growing number of children here are being neglected or abused because of their parents' addiction to meth.

Federal help is on the wane. The Bush administration touts "Access to Recovery" grants, proposed in its 2007 budget. Yet they contain just a paltry $25 million for methamphetamine treatment programs for all 50 states. There is also the ongoing federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant program, but that has proven insufficient.

Meanwhile, President Bush is proposing to eliminate the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which provides states with money to combat meth dealers. And Bush is also gutting the Community Oriented Policing Services program started under President Clinton. Reid says the COPS program is essential in providing local law enforcement agencies with the manpower and resources needed to combat the growing number of meth rings.

If Bush would speak honestly about all the federal programs that have been sacrificed to achieve his tax cuts for the wealthy, money to fight the growth of meth would be among them.