One step to bring Oklahoma out of meth’s darkness
By Bryan Painter
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Published: January 13, 2009
Modified: February 17, 2009 at 11:40 am
Modified: February 17, 2009 at 11:40 am
NFL player Roy Williams looks on Monday as Terri White, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, speaks during a fundraising event benefitting the Crystal Darkness Campaign at Leadership Square in Oklahoma City. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
TALIHINA — I can still see the boulder, still remember how the trees were so thick that they turned daylight to near darkness.
What brought up these memories from 2006? It was the promotion of tonight’s television broadcast of "Crystal Darkness,” a documentary that is the first phase of the Crystal Darkness Oklahoma campaign sponsored by a statewide coalition of government agencies, private citizens and volunteers working to eradicate methamphetamine here.Multimedia
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AT A GLANCE
How to get help by Dialing 2-1-1
2-1-1 Oklahoma will serve as the hub for the anti-meth documentary "Crystal Darkness,” which is scheduled to air tonight.
"We are pleased to have the resources and capacity to support such an important effort that affects our families and children across the state,” said Lori Linstead, 2-1-1 Oklahoma state director.
Across the state, 2-1-1 centers will be taking calls. Drug recovery and prevention experts, law enforcement and community volunteers will staff phone lines, along with 2-1-1 referral specialists. One phone call made to the 2-1-1 phone line can put a caller in touch with any local community service needed — whether public or private. The free call to the center ensures a caller can reach a specialist for a referral 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
WHERE TO WATCH DOCUMENTARY
• The documentary "Crystal Darkness” will be broadcast at 6:30 tonight on NewsOK.com.
• The documentary also will air at 6:30 tonight on Oklahoma television stations. A Spanish version is scheduled to air at 6 p.m. on Telemundo and at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Univision.
• Volunteers have organized more than 250 watch parties in Oklahoma. The official watch party is scheduled for 6 tonight at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Counselors, state agencies and other resources will be available.
• A searchable database of watch parties throughout Oklahoma is available at www.crystaldarknessoklahoma.org.
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Has much changed?
I asked him Monday.
"I don’t think we have any less meth than we had,” he said. "The active meth labs are less, but the active meth users seem to have increased.
"It’s affecting people who make $100,000 a year and people who are making $10,000 a year. We’re still seeing a lot of the meth coming from south of the border.”
That’s not the only problem.
"The problem is the availability of manpower to work the cases,” he said
Several times, he’s walked up to a car on the side of the road. He walks up with caution. The occupants may just be having car trouble. Or they may not. "We’re thinking they’ve just done a bump, which is when they take it,” he said, "or they’ve just exchanged it.”
Rose said the forest remains a safe place to visit. He doesn’t know of any problems between visitors to the forest and those buying or selling meth. Rose said usually those involved in meth are not trying to attract attention. He just wanted people to be aware of their surroundings then and still does.
But what is it going to take in the nasty fight again meth to make changes? Rose said tonight is a great step.
He strongly supports the goal of the "Crystal Darkness” campaign working to eradicate meth.
"Our solution is going to come through education,” he said.
Related Topics:
Illegal Drugs, Methamphetamine
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Why don't we intervine upon cell-phone drivers next?
As Louis properly stated, "I wonder if, once this program is over, Wes Lane will make a program about people who obtain prescription drugs under false pretenses and abuse them? I know who he could interview first."
And it doesn't matter HOW dangerous, something is, some folks, are simply drawn to the risk. Drinking, drinking and driving, driving without a seatbelt, riding without a helment, riding a motorcycle in general, doing drugs, gambling, smoking, joining a gang, playing Russian roulette... Everyone thinks, death or destruction, "won't happen to them".
I heard of a guy who was getting pills from his doctor just to sell them, and he was making over $2k a month selling Xanex, Lortab, Oxy Contin, and Somas. Then someone called his doctor and told him that the guy wasn't taking his pills, just selling them. Doc tested the guy's urine, found no drugs at all in his system, prescribed him one more month of pills and told him not to come back. I guess he didn't just want to cut him off cold turkey, so that is why he gave him one more month's supply of pills.