While the area’s problem with methamphetamine production and
addiction continues to grow, a local anti-drug agency wants to
spread the word about the highly addictive drug.
While the area’s problem with methamphetamine production and addiction continues to grow, a local anti-drug agency wants to spread the word about the highly addictive drug.
The San Benito County Substance Abuse Program will sponsor a forum Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its office at 1111 San Felipe Road, suite 108, for those interested in learning more about local methamphetamine issues.
“Due to the publicity in the last few weeks, there’s been a lot of attention on what meth is and what the problems are in the community,” said Marc Narasaki of the substance abuse program.
He specifically referred to articles published in the Free Lance before Christmas on the county’s growing meth problem.
Methamphetamine has dominated the county’s drug scene in the last five to six years, said Lt. Patrick Turturici of the Sheriff’s Department. And there’s more of it produced in California than any other country in the world, said Bob Cooke of the Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team.
Narasaki said about 75 percent of people who enter the county’s substance abuse program say they have used meth in the past year. And most people in the community with meth addiction never seek help, he said.
“Not many people walk through the door and say ‘I need some help’… a lot of people don’t want to deal with it,” Narasaki said.
The forum will include a short video produced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, followed by an open discussion. Representatives from the Hollister Police Department and county Probation Department, along with others, are scheduled to attend.
Narasaki said the forum will focus on the drastic mental and physical effects of methamphetamine use and appropriate treatment. Narasaki said the panel will be prepared to answer any questions about meth, including one of the more common inquiries: Why is the drug so available in this county?
The general consensus of law enforcement, probation and substance abuse officials believe one major reason for meth’s proliferance in SBC is the county’s rural nature.
“People just need to know there’s treatment,” Narasaki said.
