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Working Together For Our Kids’ Future
Who are we? Rainier Together is a community coalition in Rainier, Oregon. The coalition was formed to prevent substance abuse in youth and adults, and to promote activities that give youth and families the opportunity to make healthy lifestyle choices. What do we do? The coalition has funded an After School Program for Middle School students in Rainier, a Prevention Specialist in the Elementary School to provide Prevention Education, a Parent Education Class, OSSOM student attendance to Conferences, MIP Diversion and Smoking Cessation Classes, and has sponsored and provided Substance Abuse Prevention Education, Training, and events in the town of Rainier. Where and When do we meet? The coalition meets at 6:00pm, every second Thursday of the month, at the Rainier School District Board Room. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Questions? For More Information: Marleen Zytniowski at 503/556-9121
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Rainier Together Coalition reaches across the Columbia River to consolidate fight against drug crime and related child abuse "When you hear someone say, 'Someone should do something! 'Remember, you're someone." (Sheriff Bill Mahoney, Cowlitz County, WA)
Rainier Together Coalition needs volunteers and funds to carry the fight against child abuse, crime, and other problems drug use spawns and nurtures. Safe activities for kids like After-School programs, Scouts, church youth groups and Open Gym, forming Neighborhood Watch programs and community volunteer coordination are just a few of the efforts that desperately need help from "somebody". Rainier Together Coalition Chair Marleen Zytniowski can be contacted at 503-556-1955 to donate time or money to prevent and fight drug related crime. For more... |
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Chief of Police for Rainier, Ralph Painter says "Chasing the meth problem back and forth across the bridge is a zero-sum gain. Communities need to band together individually, and cooperate collectively, to have a lasting effect." Chief Painter is working with Rainier Together to begin the formation of Neighborhood Watch groups within the city. "Neighbors helping each other is vital to reducing opportunities for crime, and that's what reduces 'crimes of opportunity'." He further says "If you trace the thefts around here, they nearly always lead to Meth." Painter is very enthusiastic about revitalizing Rainier's Neighborhood Watch, and community cooperation against crime. "The great thing about Neighborhood Watch is that it helps neighbors become a part of the solution. Neighborhood Watch depends on community involvement and is driven by volunteers." |
Sheriff Phil Derby of Columbia County supports and praises Rainier Together Coalition and it's efforts. "Involved citizens, not just angry crime victims, is the key." He continues "It's impossible to fully calculate the impact of Rainier Together's prevention initiatives over the years. Those gains need to be reinforced and protected. Though the costs in dollars is significant, more than that, the cost is in souls and lives." He's glad to recall that years ago he was an active member of Rainier Together Coalition, and is glad to hear of the group's efforts to coordinate disjointed efforts, and stimulate new volunteerism. Derby said "Addictions, particularly Meth, are wreaking havoc on our community, family by family." He continued "I'm delighted that Sheriff Mahoney is willing to cross the river to highlight that Meth is 'Everyone's Problem'". Sheriff Derby is hoping to increase community safety this year with new deputies, and is hoping a Sheriff's levy will pass to fund them. "More deputies means stronger enforcement, and that means safer communities" says Derby. This mantra has been picked up by more than a few county residents in recent months. Marleen Zytniowski, Chair of Rainier Together Coalition adds "We're very glad to have Sheriff Mahoney as a resource. Without concerned Washington citizens already working with Rainier Together Coalition, we would not have known to ask that he bring this important message to the people of our county. We're delighted that he honored our request with such enthusiasm." |
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"This is a community issue..." Local Summit Informs, Seeks to Enlists Citizens in War on Meth by Ruth E. Howard War has been declared. Grassroot groups, service organizations, law enforcement and government agencies, and officials on all levels are engaging in a battle against methamphetamine (meth) abuse and its widespread effects. But, to effectively combat the highly addictive and harmful drug, communities and their citizens are needed to enlist in the "war" effort. That was the message declared during a "Communities Winning the War on Meth" summit, held last Thursday evening, April 20, to inform and engage area residents in the anti-meth effort. The event was hosted by the Columbia County Meth Action Team and the Clatskanie Together Coalition and supported by a number of area service agencies, businesses and individuals. Meth is "affecting every fabric of our society - from birth to death," Clatskanie Mayor Diane Pohl stated in her opening remarks. "This is a community issue, not a federal issue, not a state issue - we are going to do something in our community." "It takes individual human effort," stated Columbia County Commissioner Joe Corsiglia, who was instrumental in the formation of the Columbia County Meth Action Team last spring to "bring together citizens and individuals." The team, comprised of law enforcement personnel, government officials, service agency representatives and other concerned citizens, provides educational presentations, and offers resources and other information relating to meth. After reading a letter from State Representative Brad Witt, expressing regret that he would be unable to attend either the Clatskanie summit or a similar meth forum in St. Helens the following evening, but offering his support of the meth-related efforts, Corsiglia noted the bipartisan agreement of those in elected office on the meth issue. He stressed the importance of making sure "we don't have a safe haven here for meth addicts," and to make Columbia County "a very tough place to do business." "Meth: An Unnecessary Epidemic" "We don't have to have meth," Attorney Rob Bovett said, stating that meth is an "unnecessary epidemic," primarily because ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, used in cold or allergy medications, are its key ingredients and much can be done to limit access to them. Bovett, the evening's key speaker, has extensive knowledge on meth-related topics, has made more than 250 presentations throughout the nation, has appeared on a number of television programs and been featured in various special reports. He serves as assistant county counsel for Lincoln County, as legal counsel for the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association and is a member of a number of task forces and boards related to meth and drug endangered children. Using a comprehensive and extensive PowerPoint presentation, Bovett reviewed the drug's forms, its effects, its victims and the efforts to pass state and federal legislation regarding the drug. Also known as crank, speed, crystal and ice, he noted that nearly all of today's meth is crystal meth, which is primarily either smoked or injected. Describing meth as the "most highly addictive, damaging and destructive drug man has ever created," Bovett said that the stimulant causes changes in the brain. It generates an increase in the release of dopamine, a natural neurotransmitter in the brain's "pleasure center," requiring higher and higher dosages, but never duplicating the first "high." The "free-floating" dopamine triggered by the neurotoxic meth injures the brain's cells. Other effects include a variety of physical, behavioral and mental symptoms, such as weight loss, wakefulness, irritability, paranoia, hallucinations, severe depression and compulsive repetitive behaviors. Disarming a myth that meth addicts cannot recover, Bovett said there has been the same long-term success with meth addicts as with any other drug user. However, treatment generally takes longer and it may be from eight to 12 months, before an abuser's brain function restores and they begin to feel "normal." Oregon Among Leaders in Illicit Drug Use Oregon is in the top 10 in the U.S. for illicit drug use and fourth in the nation for use by youths, ages 18-25. Despite its high rankings for abuse, the state is only 45th in the nation for treatment access and 49th for treatment access to young people. Oregon's eighth graders use illicit drugs more than twice the national average. A 57 percent increase from 2001-2004 was noted for Oregon girls using meth, most choosing to abuse the drug for its weight-loss effects. The state's 11th graders use meth at a rate that is twice that of the nation's 12th graders. Abuse of meth results in "a lot of victims," Bovett noted, including grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because the parents are abusers, in-utero babies who are affected because their mothers will not voluntary quit, youngsters who live in the filthy and toxic environment resulting from home labs, and those who are victims of crimes committed by addicts to support their habits, such as the millions of Americans who have been affected by identity and property thefts. "Why so much collateral damage?" Bovett asked rhetorically. It is the "nature of the drug," he stated. There are 1 million meth users, compared to 10 million cocaine addicts. Yet, because of the cycle of days of "binging" on the drug and the resulting "crash," in which users can sleep for two to three days at a time, and the accompanying crimes of burglary, prostitution and identity theft, which go "hand-in-hand" with meth, Bovett queried as to how addicts could work a "9-5" job or care for their children. "It's hard to be a parent when you're strung out on meth." The three-pronged approach of treatment, prevention and enforcement is key to the war on meth, Bovett indicated. "We can prevent, enforce and treat our way out of a meth epidemic." Taking the Battle from State to National According to information from The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, meth ingredients include cold medications that contain pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, red phosphorus, hydrochloric acid, anhydrous ammonia, drain cleaner, battery acid, lye, lantern fuel and antifreeze. Because pseudoephedrine is a base ingredient in meth production, "regulating pseudoephedrine," Bovett said, is "key to controlling the supply side of meth." Bovett recounted his efforts on behalf of Lincoln County, the Lincoln Interagency Narcotics Team and the Oregon Narcotics Enforcement Association to aid in passing meth-related state legislation. House Bill 3661 was Bovett's "first crack" at enacting legislation and was a rewrite of Oregon's meth lab (precursor) chemical control laws. The 2001 Oregon Legislature passed the updated bill, which attempted to control access to the necessary chemicals, but not pseudoephedrine. The bill resulted in no significant reduction in meth labs, said Bovett. Information from meth "cooks" and "smurfers" - those who go from store to store, buy pills and then deliver them to the labs - indicated that eliminating pseudoephedrine was the key in curbing meth production. In 2003 the meth lab (precursor) chemical control laws were again updated in House Bill 2034 and this time a provision was added to place products containing pseudoephedrine behind the counter. Pharmaceutical and retail lobbyists put up strong opposition, however, and the bill was passed without the additional provision. In January 2004, Governor Ted Kulongski formed the state Meth Task Force, to which Bovett was appointed and where he presently serves as chair of the Drug Endangered Subcommittee. In response to Oregon's meth epidemic, the 2005 state legislature passed a meth package, which included a number of provisions, among them a directive to the State Board of Pharmacy to classify ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine as controlled substances and making the unlawful possession or distribution of the drugs a Class A misdemeanor. Now products containing these substances require a prescription in the state of Oregon. Many manufacturers have switched to different ingredients, Bovett said, and in 2005 there was a resulting 74 percent reduction in meth lab seizures. Although state legislation has helped in the crack down of "mom and pop" home labs, which contribute to 35 percent of the meth in the state, the efforts have led to interstate smurfing, in which buyers go to neighboring unrestrictive states to buy the needed ingredients. Because "super labs" in Mexico and southern California produce the majority of meth sold in the U.S., Bovett noted the need for nationwide pseudoephedrine control. "The Combat Methamphetamine Act of 2005" was included in the reauthorization of the "USA Patriot Act" and includes domestic and international pseudoephedrine control. The Patriot Act and the meth act were both signed by President Bush in March. "I believe we can control the supply of meth," Bovett said in conclusion. Dave Smith, an audience member, asked what it would take to get the federal government's attention on the meth issue, comparing it to terrorism. "The Office of Alcohol and Drug Policy doesn't believe it is a national problem," Bovett replied, adding though, that he was "incredibly pleased" with what was passed in the combat meth epidemic act. "I think we're just at the beginning of this fight." "Together We Can Make a Team" We can't do this alone in law enforcement," said Columbia County Under-sheriff Gerry Simmons in his presentation at the summit, as he cited the numerous ways in which county law enforcement has been affected by meth abuse. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of those in the Columbia County Jail, said Simmons, are there for reasons stemming from meth. He said he could not recall the last person he took to jail whose case was not somehow related to the drug. While lodged in the jail, the sheriff's office is burdened with the treatment of the medical and mental conditions of the addicts, which can be numerous and expensive. Of the 49 various pursuits last year and the approximately 15 so far this year, most were meth-related. He referred to an incident in Clatskanie the Monday prior, in which Clatskanie City Police, sheriff's personnel, and a St. Helens police officer and his K-9 counterpart tracked and apprehended an area man after he attempted to elude police. (See story in last week's Chief.) Of the 600 annual child abuse investigations conducted by the sheriff's office, many homes that are visited contain meth addict parents. He noted the "never-ending" battle with mail and identification theft and the "rampant" property thefts, including disassembling of bridges and stealing of utilities' cable for sellable scrap metal. Of the 200 domestic violence calls a year and the 175 subsequent arrests, many are meth-related. Simmons encouraged citizens to use a "Meth Houses Community Awareness" pamphlet and an accompanying neighborhood activity log, provided by the county meth action team, to learn what to look for, to report suspicious drug activity and to contact the appropriate police agency. Information is provided to the Columbia Enforcement Narcotics Team (CENT), the county-wide drug team. To report suspicious drug activity, persons may call CENT at 877 397-1167. The "Meth Houses Community Awareness" brochures are available at the Clatskanie Police Office. "We can't do this alone in law enforcement. We need the citizens to assist us - together we can make a team," Simmons said. Drug Court is Positive Influence on Youth "We've got some tremendous success stories," commented Columbia County Circuit Judge Ted Grove, referring to the county's juvenile drug court, one of only three in the state. As the county's primary juvenile court judge, Grove helped establish the juvenile drug court in 2000, which has annually served about 22 young people, ages 13-18, for a total of 119 participants. The court couples an intensive day treatment program, with the direct involvement of the court in the lives of the youth, including regular meetings with the treatment providers, juvenile probation officers, school teachers and drug court coordinators to track each young person's progress. After completing the required treatment and other directives of the court, the youth graduates from the program. Grove remarked on the positive response "when the individual feels someone in the position of the court genuinely cares about them." A "lack of good parenting" can be attributed as the most common factor in all delinquency matters, Grove noted, adding that young people will abuse drugs right along with their parents - the ones who may have initially introduced the narcotics. He stressed the need for proctor homes, to provide a healthy environment for those in treatment. Grove hopes that by securing additional state grant funds, an adult drug court and a dependency drug court could also be established in the county. "Old-Fashioned Community Support" "We can't do it all, not even close," said Bruce Lofland, who has 18 years experience with the Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Welfare, and presently works as an agency supervisor. "Old-fashioned community support" was what Lofland termed as the missing ingredient in assisting those in recovery and their families. "Volunteer to be a mentor, a foster parent - be the person they can call," he said, noting that often addicts' family will cut ties with the users, severing the needed support system. Lofland estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the children that the St. Helens DHS office places in foster homes or other care situations, have parents involved with meth, either as users or in some related crime. The recovering addicts that "seem to make it," Lofland said, are those who love their children and who have a support person to offer encouragement. Persons interested in providing foster or adoptive services to Columbia County children, are encouraged to call Jana Owens at Child Welfare, 503 397-3292, ext. 308. "Meth, and the issues meth presents, are going to affect you - it's not if, it's when," said Ray Pohl, an organizer of the summit and a Columbia County Meth Action Team member. "If we don't get a handle, our communities are going to be destroyed - we're not going to let that happen." For more information on the county's meth action team and how to become involved, persons may contact Ray and Diane Pohl at 503 728-3258.
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