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Spokane County Meth Action Team |
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The Spokane County Meth Action Team meets every third Tuesday of the month at The Regional Health District (1101 W College Ave), rooms 320-321. Our meetings begin promptly at 8:30am and end by 10:00am. Every community member, leader, and professional is encouraged to attend.
2007 Meeting Dates: January 16; February 20; March 20; April 17; May 15; June 19; July 17; August 21; September 18; October 16; November 20; December 11 (in collaboration with Community Mobilization)
Convener: Linda Thompson; Executive Director, GSSAC Spokane County Sheriff's Office Global Federal Credit Union Spokane Police Department Child Protective Services Spokane COPS & SCOPE Safeway Centurion Service Group, L.L.C. CHAS Partners with Families & Children Rosauers Washington State University & Extention Spokane Fire Department Spokane County Community Services Office of the Attorney General ESD #101 NEWTA Spokane School District #81 New Horizon Care Center Spokane County Prosecutor's Office Spokane Regional Health District Lutheran Community Services Excelsior Youth Center Spokane County Juvenile Court DASA Edgecliff Weed & Seed Representative Cox Representative Ahern Bob Apple, Spokane City Council Washington State Patrol Counter Drug Task Force Spokane County Meth Action Team Strategic Plan An Effort in Support of Working Together to Address Methamphetamine in Washington State Updated June 2004 Goal I: Reduce methamphetamine manufacture and sales in Spokane County and in turn Eastern Washington. Objective A: Reduce the availability of methamphetamine ingredients. Specifically, the object is to first reduce the availability of the most important ingredient, ephedrine to the general public. Strategy 1: Change the restrictions on the purchase of ephedrine. Actions: ¨ Prescription requirements (Law and Justice) ¨ Sell psuedoephedrine at licensed pharmacies only (Law and Justice) ¨ Promote legislative change to laws in regards to ephedrine (Prevention) * Bill 6478, effective July 1, 2004 ¨ Tax on chemicals to meth ingredients (Treatment) ¨ Request Drug Enforcement Agency to reclassify psuedoephedrine (Law and Justice) Strategy 2: Involve the pharmaceutical companies in reducing the use of ephedrine and related chemicals in the manufacturing of methamphetamine Actions: ¨ Binding process by pharmaceutical companies – “LOCK 9” (Law and Justice) * Met with Nancy Bukar, Esquire of Consumer Healthcare Products Association ¨ Create Tax incentives for pharmaceutical companies (Law and Justice) ¨ Use media to educate on alternative ways to produce ephedrine (Prevention) ¨ Educate retailers on all ingredients (Prevention) (Law and Justice) * METH WATCH Program – being coordinated statewide ¨ Meet with pharmaceutical companies regarding binding processes (Law and Justice) * Met with Nancy Bukar, Esquire of Consumer Healthcare Products Association ¨ Present cost savings to policy makers (Law and Justice) ¨ Request assistance from Congressman Nethercutt for Congressional Hearings (Law and Justice) * Working with Congressional delegation and local Legislators Strategy 3: Involve citizens and policy makers in reducing the use of ephedrine and related chemicals in the manufacturing of methamphetamine Actions: ¨ Educate the public to inform retailers (Prevention) * Presentations locally, regionally, statewide, and nationally on METH WATCH * Community adult-oriented awareness PowerPoint presentations * Breakfast of Champions Meetings ¨ National campaign to educate children (Prevention) ¨ Unite legislators and others to write to Congressman Nethercutt (Law and Justice) * Hosted press conference for Representative George Nethercutt, announced $6 million to come to Washington State to fight Meth (Jan. 29, 04) * Hosting a breakfast with Legislators (June 23, 2004) ¨ Get neighborhood groups involved (Law and Justice) * Partnerships with SCOPE and COPS ¨ Create awards and recognition (Law and Justice) * METH WATCH participants – receive letters for reporting suspicious activity Strategy 4: Make changes in the way the crime of methamphetamine manufacturing is handled in the justice system Actions: ¨ Increase prosecution resources to deal with backlog of cases and increase effective prosecution of methamphetamine cases using federal resources when possible (Law and Justice) * Increased funding for Prosecutors office ¨ Push for higher bail or inpatient treatment (Law and Justice) ¨ Educate defense attorneys (Law and Justice) ¨ More funds for Drug/Family Court (Law and Justice) *Treatment funds secured for Family Court *Appropriations proposal sent to Congressman Nethercutt, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell – Ancillary Services Supporting Effective Treatment (ASSET)
Objective B: Increase citizens’ involvement in reporting Methamphetamine labs and sales as well as the prevention of Methamphetamine use and abuse. Strategy 1: Educate and empower citizens, increasing their knowledge and ability to report methamphetamine labs and sales Actions: ¨ Organize neighborhood groups to report suspected “meth houses” (Law and Justice) * Meth Watch Community Presentations available for groups; partnering with COPS and SCOPE ¨ Use COPS and SCOPE to educate communities and train retailers (Law and Justice) * Host retailer meetings to present METH WATCH Program ¨ Develop a speakers panel (Prevention) * Established and trained 8 local presenters (May 21, 2004) for Meth Watch Community Presentation – training counties statewide ¨ Identify groups and resources and educate them (Prevention) * Contacting groups to schedule Meth Watch Community Presentations * Breakfast of Champions ¨ Use local television stations to do Public Service Announcements and assist in education (Law and Justice) (Prevention) ¨ Partner with media on local and national series (focus on positive stories and Ad Council) (Prevention) Strategy 2: Educate and empower landlords and hotel/motel managers, increasing their knowledge and ability to report methamphetamine labs and sales Actions: ¨ Develop Brochure for landlords, parents and hotels (Prevention) * Disseminate information/brochures at community presentations and through community organizations ¨ Streamline information process to report labs to law enforcement (Law and Justice) * Developed simplified METH WATCH program “suspicious transaction report” to report activity directly to precursor detectives * Working with Housing and COPS Crime Free Multi-Housing effort ¨ Facilitate protocol discussion about lab clean up among partners involved (Clean up) Strategy 3: Improve relations and information exchange between citizens, law and justice, prevention and treatment as well as among professionals to facilitate reporting and prosecution of methamphetamine activity Actions: ¨ Improve information exchange between jurisdictions (i.e. DEA, Dept. of Health) (Law and Justice) Noted at meetings—working well ¨ Research funding sources and for aids in prosecution (Law and Justice) ¨ Increase local law enforcement agents to respond to citizens’ reports (Law and Justice) * Law enforcement connecting with SCOPE and COPS regarding the METH WATCH Program ¨ New Valley precinct should help (Law and Justice) Strategy 4: Improve educational resources for children and adults to enable them to make informed decisions about methamphetamine activity in their neighborhoods Actions: ¨ Create curriculum for school aged students (Law and Justice) ¨ Educate parents (Law and Justice) * Reaching through the Meth Watch Community Presentation ¨ Work with HUB (Prevention) ¨ Community education about the drug culture and children multiple issues (Children and Family)
Goal II: Reduce methamphetamine use and abuse in Spokane County and in turn Eastern Washington. Objective C: Reduce initial use of Methamphetamine Strategy 1: Improve educational resources for youth and other at-risk individuals to enable them to make positive choices about methamphetamine and other drug abuse Actions: ¨ Find or develop good curriculum (Prevention) * Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area ¨ Have a presenter for schools (Prevention) * Meth on Your Teeth Presentations (Jackie Smith with CHAS) ¨ Enhance Prevention Specialists in schools (Prevention) * Increased funding for ESD 101 in partnership with Law Enforcement ¨ Public information campaign (Prevention) Strategy 2: Improve resources available to and response to youth that are in drug endangered homes Actions: ¨ Increase the availability of the services to children impacted by those environments (Children and Family) * Child Endangerment funding received and guidelines set ¨ Crisis response for children residing in meth exposed homes (Children and Family) * Enhanced the referral system between law enforcement and Child Protective Services (Central Intact no longer implemented) ¨ Formulation of a team to provide immediate crisis support 24/7 to children, to include evaluation and placement (Children and Family) * Child Endangerment Guidelines in place ¨ Develop protocols for working for drug involved families (Children and Family) * Regional Meth Summit on Child Endangerment * Child Endangerment Guidelines in place ¨ Provision of immediate assessment and treatment of children (Children and Family) * Child Endangerment Guidelines in place Objective D: Increase the number of methamphetamine users entering and completing treatment. Strategy 1: Increased availability of appropriate treatment Actions: ¨ Increase number of treatment facilities (Prevention) ¨ Become involved with the “Demand Treatment” initiative (Treatment) ¨ Long term year long (5 years) - more time for counselors (Treatment) ¨ Multi-drug focus (addiction) (Treatment) ¨ Support services along with treatment—Family Treatment Court (Treatment) *Appropriations proposal sent to Congressman Nethercutt, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell – Ancillary Services Supporting Effective Treatment (ASSET) * Support Access to Recovery nationwide grant opportunity ¨ Best Practices for intensive treatment (Treatment) ¨ Drug Court within 24 hours (Treatment) ¨ Partner with mental health and medical community for evaluation and treatment (Treatment) * Increased funding for Treatment in Spokane County for METH through Family Court Strategy 2: Increase support services for the families of methamphetamine users Actions: ¨ Support for children (Prevention) ¨ Family treatment plan (Children and Family) * Appropriations proposal sent to Congressman Nethercutt, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell – Ancillary Services Supporting Effective Treatment (ASSET) * Support Access to Recovery nationwide grant opportunity Strategy 3: Support services for methamphetamine users in recovery and their families Actions: ¨ Meth recovery group (Treatment) ¨ Family support group (Treatment) (Prevention) * Appropriations proposal sent to Congressman Nethercutt, Senator Murray, and Senator Cantwell – Ancillary Services Supporting Effective Treatment (ASSET) * Support Access to Recovery nationwide grant opportunity
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