Meth has been sneaking its way into our homes, businesses, schools and lives, but through the hard work and dedication of parents, teens, law enforcement officials and community leaders there is something that can be done to stop it. The Partnership was able to speak first-hand with Bill Adams, director of the Salem, Oregon anti-meth group, No Meth - Not in My Neighborhood! about how they are fighting meth head-on and making a difference in their community.

The Partnership: What exactly is No Meth - Not in My Neighborhood?
Bill Adams: No Meth is a neighborhood task force in Salem, Oregon made up of volunteers from all walks of life, from law enforcement officers to recovering addicts and interested citizens. Together we have come together to raise the awareness of meth in our community. Our mission statement is "to reduce and prevent the devastating effects of meth in our neighborhoods through a grassroots community-wide effort."

The P: Why did you start No Meth?
BA: When meth first hit, it was a big problem on the West Coast, especially in California. We are connected to that state by a major highway, I-5, and we became a high-intensity drug trafficking area. Meth turned into a significant problem in our area, as it has everywhere else, and something needed to be done. Two members of our community, Anna Peterson and Dick Withnell, thought that the meth problem needed attention and to be seen as a priority, so they started the group.

The P: What different ways has meth affected your community?
BA: We have been working with people from the medical profession, social workers, law enforcement, low-income and affluent neighborhoods and schools. There are issues everywhere, and we have made it a point to address all of them. Hospitals need to be aware of people coming in with burns from labs, or women who are pregnant and high. Foster care is a huge concern as thousands of children are being removed from their families because of meth. We want to make people aware of these issues so that they can be prevented.

The P: How did No Meth gain interest? Is it completely volunteer?
BA: We are very unique because we are literally a grassroots organization and we run completely and intentionally separate from any other public organization. Anna and Dick held a forum for a number of citizens in the area and explained why things needed to change. There had been budget cuts in Oregon which were decimating the state police, so it was up to the counties to start regulating the drug trafficking on the highways. We were able to bring together the public sector entities to begin rallying for support and funds for this cause.

The P: How often do you meet and where?
BA: We have an office in the local YMCA (but are not religiously affiliated) in which we pay a very moderate price for rent. Our executive committee meets once a month to provide direction to the rest of the group. We try to hold public forums or meetings about every other month as well.

The P: Where do you get your funding?
BA: We have foundation grants that we apply for, and we also receive money from the political entities in the area. When we mail out our materials, we apply for mass-mailing grants. Donations are also a key factor in keeping us afloat.

The P: Do you distribute any educational materials?
BA: Yes, we produce mass mailings and brochures in English and in Spanish and we distribute them in any way possible so that they reach anyone and everyone. Right now we are focusing more on prevention and treatment than we are on enforcement, so we are attempting to mobilize parents and professional groups, specifically the medical community since they are so involved in a number of meth issues (lab explosions and burns to addicted women expecting babies).

The P: How are you spreading the word?
BA: We have found that the low-income areas are more aware of meth because it's just not hidden there. In the high-end neighborhoods, they are ignoring the drug — not talking about and getting away with using it. A lot of community members don't believe they have a problem; therefore, we will do anything to make these places more aware. For example, if an arrest takes place in an affluent neighborhood, we make sure that is has a good amount of press coverage.

The P: Do you hold any events?
BA: We hold forums every few months in which we try to address all of the issues surrounding meth — not simply enforcement. At the last forum we held there were 1000-plus people in attendance. We split them up into groups to discuss various areas of concern from identity theft to the overwhelming amount of children in foster care due to addicted parents.

The P: Any last comments on the drug meth?
BA: All we're doing is pushing the meth problem around the map — we need national collaborative approaches to this crisis, or we're going to be fighting it for the next 20 years.