GUEST OPINION: MONTANA TEENS NEED EDUCATION ABOUT METH RISKS

Recent meth prevention meetings as well as the print and broadcast ads
represent the hard work of dozens of Montana citizens who have come
together to form the Montana Meth Project. They have united to do something
about the deadly drug epidemic sweeping our state.

Some of those involved in the project have a public service background, but
many more come from the private sector, which means they come from the
ranks of ordinary Montanans who are, like us, scared to death of what is
happening to our kids and want to put a stop to it.

Government can fight meth producers and traffickers through police,
educational and public service agencies. But government alone cannot and
will not solve the problem without active support from the rest of us.

Front lines of drug war

Like it or not, we are today on the front line of the drug war. Not a war
against the dealers and producers of meth and other drugs, but instead a
war for the hearts, minds and souls of our sons, daughters and neighbors.
Meth is a relatively cheap, extremely seductive and incredibly dangerous
drug that is far more widely available here in Montana than we would have
believed possible a few years ago. Worse, your child can become hooked on
meth after trying it only once.

Meth use in Montana is much higher than in other states. More than 8
percent of our teenagers admit that they have already tried it, and more
than half of them say it's very easy to come by. Sixteen percent of our
teenagers 12-17 tell us they have been offered meth within the past year.
That number increases to 33 percent among young adults 18 to 24.

These are frightening facts. Montana has the dubious distinction of being
the 11th ranked state in meth abuse. The situation is getting worse by the
day and is fueling an unprecedented increase in violent crimes in the state
as addicts do whatever they have to do to pay for their next hit. Experts
say that the rate of meth-related violent crime here is five times the
national average.

Eighth-graders in rural Montana are nearly 60 percent more likely than
their counterparts in cities to have already tried meth.

Our young people aren't stupid. If they only knew the potential
consequences of accepting that first hit, very few would do so. The problem
is that by the time many of them learn just how dangerous the stuff is,
they've already been seduced by the drug and are on the slippery slope to
self-destruction.

Graphic ads are accurate

We can't prevent people from making bad decisions, but we can make certain
that they know that their decisions can lead to terrible results. The Meth
Project ads are graphic. What they portray is unsettling. But anyone who
sees them and realizes that they accurately portray the downside of meth
will think twice before accepting a sample from a friend, acquaintance or
from some friendly drug dealer.

The ads, however, won't do it by themselves. That's why the public meetings
are important, and it's why we're appealing to Montana's parents to get the
facts themselves and talk to their kids about the danger. We're not foolish
enough to believe that we can get every Montana teenager to turn his or her
back on meth, but we are convinced that if we all work together to get the
facts to our young people, the vast majority will do the smart thing rather
than knowingly risk destroying themselves.

If you want to help or review facts about meth, please check out the
Montana Meth Project Web site: www.montanameth.org.

Mike McGrath is Montana's attorney general. Theresa Racicot is the wife of
former Montana Gov. Marc Racicot. Both McGrath and Theresa Racicot are
members of the Montana Meth Project Advisory Council.