Delegations from the 13 states in the Midwest Governors Conference gather in Sioux City next week for a summit on methamphetamine. Iowa Drug Policy Coordinator Bruce Upchurch will be going, with a group.Teams of 15 will come from each state and will talk about enforcement, treatment, prevention, child-welfare, environment and lab cleanup issues. Upchurch says it’s the fourth summit of this kind in three years, and hasn’t yet halted the problem of meth labs and the use of the drug. It’s discouraging, he says, because it’s a problem that remains a crisis, but all they can do is use the resources available to tackle the problem. Upchurch explains that because meth is relatively easy to manufacture, it’s a two-pronged problem.There is interstate trafficking, in fact Iowa’s largest volume of meth comes from out-of-state, but there are also local labs making the drug so authorities need the resources to handle those, too. Upchurch considers meth the most dangerous drug around today. It’s as addicting, or more addicting, than anything else, he says, and addicts take longer to treat and have recurring problems the rest of their lives. The methamphetamine summit, sponsored by the Midwest Governors Conference and the National Crime Prevention Council, will be next Wednesday through Friday (September 18-10) in Sioux City. Representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington will also attend.
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