Five years ago, leaders in Cass County launched their response to a growing problem in the region: the war on drugs.

Like the rest of the country, the area had been plagued with a number of drug epidemics ranging from marijuana to heroin and everything in between, but since the early 2000s, methamphetamine use seemed to grow like wildfire in Cass County.

Designed to combat this drug and all other stimulants abused in the area, Cass County’s Drug Treatment Court has not only led to the arrests of hundreds of drug abusers, but given a large percentage of them the help they need to get clean and lead healthy, productive lives.

Last week, our inaugural Closer Look took an in-depth glance at the meth problem in particular. We tried to look at the issue from all angles: in the eyes of a former abuser who knows first-hand how addictive the substance is; in the eyes of law enforcement officials who have seen the horrible crimes the drug leads those desperate for a fix to commit; and through the eyes of the judicial system, which we truly believe is on the right track to solving the problem.

Bob Weber, who helps meth addicts overcome their addiction at the Cass County Behavioral Health Network in Cassopolis, attributes the growing meth problem to a rise in one-pot meth labs, in which people make meth in their own homes.

The drug task force also recognized this trend and learned that accessibility to the ingredients, which can be purchased at grocery and hardware stores, makes the drug fairly simple to create, so the team worked with Cass County businesses to track people who frequently purchase the ingredients.

The team has also worked to educate the general public about the signs of meth use. Now, when people smell strange chemical scents emanating from homes or realize that  a home has frequent visitors, they are encouraged to contact law enforcement, and police take the tips seriously, which makes all the difference.

As Weber explained, the rise in arrests does not necessarily mean there has been a huge spike in meth use; it just means that more people are aware of the problem and know what to look for, so more users are getting the help they need to overcome the addiction.

It is quite obvious that this drug is dangerous and has the power to change lives of more than just those who use it, and try as they might, there may never be a time when the county is completely free of meth abuse, but we believe that thanks to the hard work of individuals dedicated to getting to the root of the problem, we are several steps closer to finding solutions and creating a safer commuinty.

 

Opinions expressed are those of the editorial board consisting of Publisher Michael Caldwell and editors Ambrosia Neldon, Craig Haupert, Ted Yoakum and Scott Novak.