LEARNING THE HARD LESSONS FROM METH ADDICTION

If you've ever doubted the addictive power of methamphetamine, take
one look at George Turner and Danny Pratt, two local men stricken by
the seductive drug.

Pratt is dead - gunned down by Turner during an argument over a few
hundred dollars in drug money. Turner will spend, at the very least,
30 years behind bars.

While neither man lived very upstanding lives in Pocatello, it's
probably fair to say that they, themselves, were victimized by the
drug they used and sold on a daily basis.

Meth has reached epidemic proportions in southeastern Idaho. It's no
longer shocking to see armed police officers raiding a home in search
of one of the many meth labs that pock our region. It's no longer
surprising to read down a court docket and notice all the suspected
drug offenders on the day's calendar.

And, sadly, it's not surprising that many of the people who have
become entangled with the deadly drug are young people, even children.

We live in a generally conservative community, and we might not
realize the power meth has usurped from our city leaders, from our
teachers and from our parents. It's infiltrated our schools and it's
available on the street to our children for about the cost of a school
lunch.

Not all our community leaders are blind to this problem. Our local
police chief and our county sheriff are doing all they can to keep the
evils of meth at bay, but the first line of defense has to come from
parents.

We can preach about the dangers of meth until we're blue in the face;
local law enforcement officers can continue to raid the deadly labs
where the drug is manufactured for local consumption. We can disparage
the drug, bemoan its addictive properties and the damage it does to
the body. But unless we're including our young people in these
conversations, we're not making very much progress.

Talk to your children. Be candid with them - this issue is too
important to dance around. It's become a tumor on our community's
otherwise healthy physique. Meth and its powerful effects drive people
to do things they once wouldn't consider. George Turner may never have
considered himself a murderer. Danny Pratt may never have considered
himself a murder victim. Perhaps, without the drug's potent influence,
neither would have digressed to the point of such desperation.

These two men are examples we can use to persuade our children to
remain drug free, safe and alive. Let's not let Danny Pratt's death
and George Turner's condemnation be the just desserts two drug addicts
received for making poor choices in their lives.

We need to give our children real-life examples when it comes to
combating this drug. One example is now rotting behind bars,
ineligible for parole for 30 years. The other now rests in his grave.