| Story Date: Thursday, July 6, 2006 In-depth on Meth: Results are in By Brooke Vermillion Reporter The preliminary results are in -- more than half of Pope County's residents who completed a recent research survey believe METHamphetamine is a local problem. After a semester of work at Arkansas Tech University, about 90 students and their professors have discovered 61 percent of the 313 survey participants reported the drug has become a problem in Pope County, and 13 percent of those participants have even had the drug offered to them. The 314 responses came from the 1,000 multiple-page surveys sent out to a random sample of Pope County residents from all zip codes. Questions ranged from beliefs on drug availability to opinions on spending for drug prevention and treatment. The survey, "Understanding Crystal METHamphetamine Use: Community Impact and Interventions for Vulnerable Populations," was conducted through the research phase of the River Valley METH Project. During the spring semester, the two junior-level Tech classes -- Introduction to Social Research, and Prisons and Corrections -- conducted research, developed surveys, collected data and wrote reports on the effects of METHamphetamine in Pope County. Assistant professors of Sociology Terri Earnest, PhD, and Sean Huss directed the group to learn more about the METH epidemic sweeping the state and the nation. What they have found so far has told them the public needs to be educated about the drug, Huss said last week at the monthly METH Project meeting. Jenna Lamphere, sociology and psychology major at Tech, read some of the group's findings during last week's meeting. She reported nearly 98 percent of the survey participants believed spending on drug abuse prevention was about right. However, 87 percent believed more preventative measures should be taken to reduce the drug problem. She added 35 percent believed current drug treatment strategies do not work, but 56 percent of the sample believed current spending on drug treatment should not change. The group started in January with hopes of finding how the community feels about the METH problem in Pope County and defining the scope of the problem. Although the sample was relatively small compared to the 54,000 Pope County residents, Huss said he is proud of the work the group accomplished. "The last survey research project I was a part of had a $7 million budget over three years," he said. "Our budget (at Tech) was $10,000, and what would normally take a year to do, we did in four months. ... "And the students hated us. But I don't know if they realize how truly amazing they did." The funding issue the METH Project and the Tech research project had, however, is a consistent problem, according to project leaders. Funding is needed for research, and research is needed for funding. The final results from the survey, which are expected to be completed by September, will be presented to the community and to state legislators in hopes of turning more attention to the local drug problem. A wellness festival is currently being planned to educate the public on the current drug issues, Huss said. The local RVMP -- designed in 2004 to curb METH use, manufacturing, and distribution -- is composed of law enforcement authorities, court personnel, child care professionals, schools administrators, business/industry managers, drug treatment and rehabilitation services, Realtors and the media, all of whom come in contact with drug-related issues. The goal of the project is to better understand and treat those affected by METH while also incorporating them back into society and a healthy environment. |