Anti-meth task force to become law

Today a law will go into effect creating the Methamphetamine Abuse Task Force to try to find a solution to the methamphetamine problem in Indiana. Approximately 28 individuals were appointed to the task force, each from a different community, which includes police officers, prosecutors, judges, social service workers, mental health experts, retailers and those in the agricultural community. The law will also give local residents a chance to speak about the problem and offer their solutions.\nAllen Thowning, the legislator who presented the bill, said he knows the meth problem has existed for a long time. He said he hopes the task force is able to find an answer for it.\n"The day before I presented the bill, I called the county jail (in Sullivan County), and over 65 percent of people in the jail were there on meth charges," Thowning said. "In southwest Indiana, it's been an extreme epidemic. I've been concerned for a long time." \nTwo of the reasons that meth is such a problem are its addictive properties and the ease with which it can be made.\n"Eighty-five percent of people get addicted on their first try," Thowning said. \nThe Office of National Drug Control Policy states that "methamphetamine, a derivative of amphetamine, is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system." The drug causes an intense high by releasing large levels of dopamine into the body.\n"You can get all the ingredients locally," said State Rep. Trent VanHaaften, D-Mount Vernon. "You don't have to rely on the hierarchy of the drug trade. I think that's why it's taken root and become such a problem."\nVanHaaften was the one member of the House of Representatives appointed to the task force.\nThough the task force itself will not be able to pass legislation, they will be given a directive to come up with a plan and will be able to make suggestions for changes to be made to laws. The task force is directed to devise a written plan by the end of October. The task force will look at what other states have done and discuss what can be done about the problem. Thowning said he believes this should just be a first step.\n"Any given state will help, but won't cure the problem," Thowning said. "They can just go to other states to buy the ingredients and come back to make it. We need to approach it from the national level as well."\n-- Contact staff writer Amanda Elliott at arelliot@indiana.edu .