Citizens form group to fight meth abuse
09/30/05
Susan Kirkland
The Citizens Against Methamphetamines held a public meeting Sept. 20 to educate the community about the impact of drugs in Gordon County and to organize their efforts to fight the epidemic.
The first meeting featured speakers Dottie Jarrett, director of the Department of Family and Children Services in Gordon County; Sandy Barton, nurse; and George Shirella, coordinator for the Consauga Circuit Drug Court.
"We don’t have all the answers yet," said Matthew Blackstock, chairman of the newly formed group.
The group, still in its infancy, plans to take a mult-faceted approach to the problem, which is not just limited to methamphetamines, although the toxic drug is the most prominent.
The approach would include education, treatment, public awareness, and education. They want to include civic, business, and government organizations and work toward tougher laws and new approaches to an old problem.
Jarrett said that her office deals with the effects of methamphetamines daily. In ongoing cases where families are monitored but children remain in the home, 20 percent are drug related.
"Of those, nearly 100 percent involve meth," she told the group, which met at the Chamber of Commerce. Nine out of 10 children removed from the home are done so because of meth, she said.
"They love their kids, but they’ll give them up for the drug, that’s how strong it is," Jarrett said.
Barton said the teenagers she talks to at the schools believe meth is harmless. "It’s time to do something," she said.
Shirella explained to the group, about 25 strong, how the drug court system in the Conasauga district, which includes Whitfield and Murray counties, has had a positive impact on the problem.
While they have had great success with their system, Shirella said it’s not for every circuit or every judge. CAM recently collected more than 1,500 signatures supporting the possibility of a separate drug court in Gordon County.
"We’ll be glad to host judges who want to see how the court operates," he offered.
"What we really need right now are volunteers," said Jan Hammond, vice chair of the group.