The Blaine County Sheriff's Office and the Community Drug Coalition has prepared a new brochure that contains some startling information about the use of methamphetamine in the county.
For example, the publication reports that one out of 20 Wood River High School students claim to have used the drug, but high school officials estimate "that the real number is closer to one out of seven students."
"The popularity of meth among high school and middle school students is a particular concern in Blaine County," the brochure says. "One out of six county juveniles on probation admit to using meth and 60 percent of those consider themselves addicted," the publication reports.
"One of the biggest dangers of meth is how quickly people can become addicted to it," the brochure says. "The National Methamphetamine Awareness Campaign says that 99 percent of people are hooked on meth after using it the first time."
The publication further cites a National Methamphetamine Awareness Campaign claim that says "teens in small towns are 104 percent more likely to try meth."
The four-page, full-color brochure was funded by a grant from the Safe and Drug Free Schools organization, said Holly Carter, a sheriff's office command staff assistant who researched, wrote and coordinated publication of the brochure.
Five thousand copies were printed and are currently available through the sheriff's office or other member organizations of the Community Drug Coalition, including the Blaine County School District, the Blaine County Probation Department, St. Luke's Center for Community Health, the Walker Center and Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Other members include various local churches and businesses and private citizens.
Carter said that fighting meth use in Blaine County is a high priority of Sheriff Walt Femling.
"Walt has been doing presentations around the county and we wanted him to have something to hand out," she said. "We want people to know that we do have a problem in this county. We wanted to provide some information to the people of our community because people sometimes think we're isolated here."
The brochure offers information on the negative health effects of meth use, which can include brain damage, cardiac arrest or strokes, high blood pressure, rotting teeth, skin ulcers, chronic fatigue, extreme anorexia, seizures or death.
Physical and mental symptoms of meth use are also detailed, as are behavioral signs, which can include withdrawal from family and friends, poor school performance, long periods of sleeplessness followed by long periods of sleep, decreased appetite, erratic attention span, twitching or itching, irritability and aggressive or violent behavior.
