Dear Editor,

Tonight [Dec. 4], I invested two hours on understanding a problem that has become an epidemic in our area. It was a training by a representative from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) concerning meth and meth labs. This brief class was very informative about the enemy of meth.

It is an enemy. You may think you are safe just because your family does not do drugs. That is a great fallacy. Understanding the extremely dangerous chemicals involved in the making of that poison needs to be understood by all of us. Due to the nature of the manufacture methods of meth, it is easy for bystanders to easily be affected. This is a very dangerous enemy in our communities.

Given that it is such a dangerous enemy, you would think local officials would attend such an important public informational opportunity. None of our county commissioners or other such elected local officials were there. There were about 17 of us getting to know the enemy in our midst.

It is an enemy because it puts law enforcement, EMS, first responders, fire fighters and anyone that comes into contact with it in danger. Children in homes with it are in danger. The people cooking it and using it are in danger. Meth is very volatile in its production.

It is our concern because we may be living next door to a clandestine meth lab and not even know it. It is our concern because our taxpayer dollars go to pay for the clean up, incarceration, foster care for children and everything else that goes along as fall out from a meth lab bust.

In the future, there will be more opportunities to attend such a training. I strongly urge everyone to attend. You need to know for your children, your grandchildren, and simply yourselves. This is our community, and we do not have to just throw our hands up in surrender. We can take simple measures and take a stand. Complaining does not cut it.

Our law enforcement needs our support. They need tips and encouragement.

Our elected officials need to hear from us that this is an important issue. It is time to do something!

We can make a difference. Get educated and be informed about meth. Let’s hold elected officials accountable, as well. (I am very disappointed they were not there, as well.) We owe our thanks to Doug Lavendar for spearheading this effort to inform the public about this important subject.

Be aware and understand that there is no reason we cannot make an impact on this epidemic. Wake up and get involved!

Sincerely,

Carrie Wolfe

Meigs County