What
is Meth Watch?
Communities
across America
plagued by
methamphetamine
usage and
production are
looking for
effective and
innovative ways
to combat this
growing problem.
Meth Watch is a
program
sponsored by the
Consumer
Healthcare
Products
Association
(CHPA) and is
designed to help
curtail
the theft and suspicious sales
of pseudoephedrine
products, as
well as other
common household
products used in
the illicit
manufacturing of
methamphetamine
in small,
toxic
labs. A key goal
of this program
is to promote
cooperation
between
retailers and
law enforcement
to prevent the
diversion of
legitimate
products for
illegal use.
Meth Watch was
started in
Kansas as a
public-private
partnership
between the
Kansas
Department of
Health and
Environment, the
Kansas Bureau of
Investigation,
the Kansas
Methamphetamine
Prevention
Project (part of
the non-profit
statewide drug
prevention
system), and
Kansas
retailers. As
news spread of
its success,
several states
began to adopt
the Kansas
model. Many more
expressed
interest, but
were deterred by
the lack
of resources and
know-how.
That's where the
national Meth
Watch program
comes in. CHPA provides a
one-stop shop to
help interested
states implement Meth Watch in
their
communities
through the Meth
Watch resource
center at
www.methwatch.com.
Through Meth
Watch, retailers
and law
enforcement will
help increase
awareness about
the diversion of
legal products
to the illegal
manufacture of
methamphetamine
and will assist
local
communities in
addressing the
meth problem.
The
Kansas Story
The
Kansas Meth
Prevention
Project (KMPP)
began as a
public-private
partnership
formed in October 2001
to develop a
statewide
infrastructure
to fight the
methamphetamine
problem in
Kansas
communities. The
program received
funding through
the Substance
Abuse and Mental
Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA)
in 2002. CHPA and its
member companies
are providing
funding for
its efforts in
2004. The goals
of the project
include reducing
the supply of
methamphetamine
by monitoring
the availability
of products used in
the manufacture
of
methamphetamine
and reducing the
demand for
methamphetamine
by providing
opportunities
for youth
education and
community
awareness about
the dangers of
the drug.
A statewide
network of
agencies partnered to
make the KMPP
successful. The
agencies are:
Kansas
Department of
Health and
Environment
(KDHE),
Kansas Bureau of
Investigation,
Prevention and
Recovery
Services in
Topeka,
Kansas Social
and
Rehabilitation
Services,
Kansas Regional
Prevention
Centers,
Kansas State
University
Research and
Extension,
and the
Kansas National
Guard, to
name a few.
The KMPP
conducts "train
the trainer"
sessions
throughout the
state to
increase
awareness of Meth Watch and
other prevention
strategies.
Kansas learned
early on that local
participation is
the key to the successful
implementation
of Meth Watch
and achieved
widespread
community
involvement
through an
ongoing
mini-grant
process. The KDHE distributes
Meth Watch
materials to
retailers
and other
interested
parties statewide on a
regular basis
and nationwide
as requested. For
further
information,
contact
T.J. Ciaffone,
KDHE Bureau of
Environmental
Remediation
Response Unit
chief,
or
Cristi Cain,
KMPP project
coordinator.
Other Meth Watch
Programs
CHPA has made
funds available
to help support
state and local
Meth Watch
programs.
In addition to
the Kansas
program, a
number of
additional
states have
taken the Kansas
model and
implemented
their own Meth
Watch programs,
including the
following.
Georgia
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
New Mexico
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee (Meth
Free Tennessee
and
Tennessee Meth
Watch
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wyoming
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