Can the war against methamphetamine really be won? That remains to be seen. In a case that is far too close to us we are seeing some of the difficulties involved. In our last post we told you about the suspected meth lab located next door.
Out on a sheriff's bond because of an overcrowded jail this alleged offender is free to keep up his criminal activities if he chooses to do so. And as addictive as methamphetamine is there is a real possibility of that happening.
For years now this county has seen quite a few problems involving an overcrowded jail, problems that affect many of use law-abiding citizens in one way or another. Everything from poor inmate care that has lead to many lawsuits, to criminal offenders walking the streets free because the jail is closed, to court ordered fines and restitution going collected again because the jail is closed.
To make matters worse we have the still growing problem of methamphetamine, the biggest illegal drug menace in America. Here in Arkansas the number of people seeking treatment at more than 200 publicly funded treatment centers across the state has risen. In 2004, the number of meth admissions was a little more than 5,000 people. By 2005 that number has grown to more than 6,700.
The number of meth arrest also doubled during roughly the same period. The state of Utah is the only state that matches Arkansas's 100% increase in the number of meth arrests. In June 2005 a National Association of Counties survey of 500 law enforcement agencies showed Arkansas and Utah as the only states where meth-related arrests went up 100 percent over the past 12 months.
With these kinds of increases coupled with the overcrowded conditions of the prisons and county jails in this state it doesn't appear that the battle against meth is being won. The war against this epidemic is not over yet however. New laws regulating the sale of cold pills and programs like criminal nuisance abatement are helping communities fight this war.
One such program is working in the city of North Little Rock. The S.A.F.E. (Support, Abatement, Fines and Enforcement) team was designed to be a comprehensive criminal nuisance abatement program that allows cities to fight crime by utilizing civil laws to shutdown crack houses, meth-labs, and properties that are havens for criminal activity. Under this program landlords are giving incentives (support) to improve their property or legal action against the non-compliant tenants and landlords will be taken.
Members of the 20th District Drug Task Force have recently been backing a proposal for a criminal nuisance abatement ordinance in the city of Conway and would like to see it at the county level as well. Speaking as a county resident who had and quite possible still has a meth lab literally right next door we think this is a good idea. You should too, after all with the increases in meth related arrests we have seen lately how long do you think it will take before a meth lab is built next door to your home? Assuming that one isn't there already, of course.
Can the war against methamphetamine really be won? Only with a concerted effort on the part of federal, state, and local officials working with the community and the media to catch, incarcerate, and rehabilitate these offenders and clean up properties that have become havens for criminal activity. This is the challenge our new and returning elected officials must face, a challenge that is important to us all.
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