Meth is still a problem

Nancy Cummings, a volunteer for Greene County United Against Meth and Drug Abuse, said the relaxed atmosphere of this second drug seminar of 2009 provided a dialogue that she had wanted to see happen for quite some time.

Many questions were answered by a panel of people who are in contact with drug abusers on a daily basis.

Greene County Sheriff Terry Pierce was the first to speak on how drug abuse has affected law enforcement.

"From 2001 until 2003 (due to the methamphetamine problem), the jail was overflowed with inmates. The 74-bed facility would fluctuate between 75 and 100 inmates. We didn't have enough resources to handle it."

With training, Pierce said the department was better capable of handling the situation, and for a short while the number of drug cases subsided, somewhat.

"Now there is a new problem," explained Pierce. "We have a different clientele. They (the abusers) are back with mental and medical issues."

Pierce added that meth abuse affects the body very quickly and is not a long term drug.

"Twenty years ago the drugs of choice were mostly alcohol and marijuana, which takes longer to harm the body," noted Pierce. "In 2008, $77,000 was spent for medical care for inmates, which is a phenomenal cost to taxpayers.

"The padded cell is used nearly daily," Pierce went on to say. "This is a new situation, which is not the epidemic but the effects of the epidemic."

Probation Officer Mike Pate noted that his caseloads have also skyrocketed as drug abusers are released from prison.

Continuing with the format on the ravages of meth, Josh Goodman, a detective with the Linton Police Department and who is also with the Greene County Drug Task Force, said he couldn't remember interviewing for a burglary in which stolen goods weren't traded for drugs.

Goodman explained that there are two types of methamphetamine -- anhydrous and crystal. The crystal is usually imported from Mexico. The anhydrous can be made or "cooked" by anyone who has the ingredients.

"There is a lot of crystal around here," noted Goodman. "We made an arrest in which the crystal found amounted to $10 million."

Goodman said when much of the crystal is off the streets, the users then get busy and make anhydrous.

"I could work 24/7 and not make a dent in drug trafficking." Goodman added.

Goodman also said that many times when teenagers are sick and parents think they have the flu they are "coming down" from drugs.

"We have to get to kids when they're young," stressed Goodman. "I see them at 15 years starting on anhydrous (meth)."

Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw noted that in October 1998 he was told that methamphetamine was becoming a problem in three states and was headed toward Indiana.

"We started seeing it (meth) in 1999, and by 2001 it had increased," Holtsclaw said. "In a few short years, the epidemic skyrocketed. We had to make bonds higher in order for jail time so they (abusers) could dry out.

"It is a frustrating problem that we have been fighting for years. If you have children, teach them, take them to church, and impress upon them that no matter what friends say meth will ruin your life."

Greene County Coroner Brian Gainey explained that meth abusers who are dying are dying from kidney and liver failure and heart attacks. So the death certificate doesn't state that it is a meth overdose, but in reality the death was due to drug abuse.

Gainey also stressed that misuse of prescriptive drugs can be fatal either by not taking the drugs as prescribed or by mixing them with other prescription drugs.

However, there is help out there for drug abusers who want to be helped.

Nicole Dunning, director of Greene County Alcohol and Drug Abuse, a court sponsored agency, explained that is where her job comes into the picture.

Her agency provides assessments and referrals to drug abusers. They also provide classes that are held in the courthouse and community correctional facilities with usually 20 persons to a class.

There is also the 12-Step Program. Many times those programs are in local churches. In Bloomfield, there is also a 12-Step Program at the Family Life Center.

Dunning says there are success cases, but sadly as Holtsclaw, Pierce and Goodman all stressed, 96 percent of abusers return to their old friends and their old lifestyle.

At the close of the seminar, visitors attending said they had a much better understanding of the drug problem, especially the methamphetamine problem.