Drug Czar holds meth forum

Iowa’s Drug Czar is holding a statewide forum on methamphetamine today (Tuesday) in Newton. Marv Van Haaften, director of the office of Drug Control Policy, says it’s been a couple of years since they had such a summit. He says they decided in a strategic planning session that they needed to get together again and discuss things. He says they reviewed the past two summits, so they wouldn’t be going over the same thing. Van Haaften says the summit can set the course for their future work.Van Haaften says it’s interesting that two of the recommendations from the last summit where to look at drug endangered children, and precursor control. He says they’ve addressed both issues. He says they need to discuss all the work that’s gone on since the last summit. He says he thinks they need some new priorities, as he says they know a lot more now and its timely to revisit some recommendations to make the state safer. Van Haaften says Governor Vilsack will address the group this morning. He says the Governor will make what his staff calls “a major policy address” on methampetamine. Van Haaften says they’ve given them the latest information and trends on the drug. The forum is today on the Newton campus of Des Moines Area Community College from nine a.m. to four p.m.