{news} US CT: Edu: Connecticut Leaders Fight To Crack Down On Crank

[clifford thornton]

US CT: Edu: Connecticut Leaders Fight To Crack Down On Crank

      URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1679/a01.html
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      Pubdate: Fri, 08 Dec 2006
      Source: Yale Herald, The (CT Edu)
      Copyright: 2006 The Yale Herald.
      Contact: opinion at yaleherald.com<mailto:opinion at yaleherald.com>
      Website: http://www.yaleherald.com/<http://www.yaleherald.com/>
      Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2791<http://www.mapinc.org/media/2791>
      Author: Michael Kim


      CONNECTICUT LEADERS FIGHT TO CRACK DOWN ON CRANK 

      As far as Governor Jodi Rell is concerned, new laws are needed to keep methamphetamine use in Connecticut to a minimum.  While towns across the country struggle because of a meth epidemic, Rell hopes to quell meth use in Connecticut before it takes a tight hold. 

      Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug commonly known as meth, crystal meth, ice, speed, or crank.  Unlike marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, meth does not come from plants but is produced in laboratories.  Meth is not as prevalent in Connecticut as it is west of the Mississippi, and officials want to make sure it stays that way. 

      "There are no methamphetamine users being treated here," said an official at the APT Foundation, a New Haven based nonprofit organization that treats individuals with substance abuse problems in multiple clinical centers.  The official asked not to be named to protect the identities of his clients.  At the same time, increasingly large quantities of methamphetamine are being smuggled in from Mexico, where it is produced in mass-scale "superlabs." 

      "I still believe we need to get tougher laws here in Connecticut," Rell said last Thur., Nov.  30, at the state Capitol.  The governor vowed to introduce legislation to make punishments harsher for those that sell or manufacture methamphetamine.  She proposed a 15-year prison sentence for first time offenders and a 30-year sentence for second time offenders. 

      Earlier this year, Rell issued a statement that came down hard on existing laws, "We need to get tougher laws on the books this year to send the message that the sale or possession of this drug will land you in jail." She has succeeded in reclassifying the possession of methamphetamine manufacturing paraphernalia as a Class D felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.  She also advocated requiring pharmacists to keep a log of people who purchase cold medications like Sudafed that contain pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, chemical ingredients of methamphetamine. 

      When asked about the effectiveness of such strong punishments, Carol Meredith, assistant director of the Prevention and Intervention Unit of the Department of the Connecticut Mental Health and Addiction Services, said enforcement strategies can be a significant source of deterrence. 

      But not everyone is confident that Rell's policy will succeed.  According to Cliff Thornton, a representative of Efficacy, a Connecticut based organization that advocates legalization of drugs, the current aggressive anti-drug policy is a ploy used by politicians.  Instead, the government should acknowledge the presence of drugs and regulate their use.  "There have been countless surveys that say marijuana is easier for minors to obtain than alcohol or cigarettes," said Thornton.  "We have to bring drugs into the law.  We must legalize, medicalize, and decriminalize." Thornton ran for governor of Connecticut under the Green Party ticket in 2006. 

      "Has prohibition worked with cannabis, heroin, alcohol, or crack cocaine?" Thornton asked.  "Alcohol only came under control after the government lifted prohibition." Time will tell if Rell's crackdown on meth will face similar roadblocks.  



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