Many state and federal policymakers are aware of the growing problem of methamphetamine use, but the response to date has mostly been to try to contain drug supply. States hit hardest by meth use, such as Hawaii and in the Midwest, have responded primarily through harsher penalties for meth dealers and state laws designed to keep precursor chemicals out of the hands of meth makers. Most recently, for example, states like Iowa have passed laws restricting access to over-the-counter cold medicines that can be used to make methamphetamine.

Next week, however, the nascent Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus is holding a policy briefing to try to get lawmakers to focus on a different strategy: effective treatment for meth addicts.

"There's a false but widespread belief that methamphetamine treatment is ineffective," said Carol Falkowski, research communications director for the Hazelden Foundation, who will testify at the Capitol Hill briefing. "It's the same thing that happened when the crack-cocaine epidemic exploded. There are effective treatments, but they're not generally as available as they should be."

The April 6 briefing will feature testimony from Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Director Westley Clark and two other experts from Hazelden: CEO Ellen Breyer, and admissions and case-management manager Jim Atkins, who will talk about his own methamphetamine addiction and recovery.

"Methamphetamine abuse is spreading at a staggering pace; it is overwhelming our emergency rooms, courts and jails," said Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), who co-chairs the caucus with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.). "Between 1992 and 2002, the rate of treatment admissions for methamphetamine addiction increased by more than 420 percent. But there is hope: treatment for methamphetamine addiction is working to save lives and put people on the path to recovery."

Falkowski told Join Together that she plans to tell policymakers that while every drug of abuse presents unique challenges to treatment programs, methamphetamine addicts are far from incurable. In addition to Hazelden's 12-step facilitation model, UCLA's Matrix Model, and a number of correctional-system designs have been shown to be effective in moving meth users from addiction to recovery, she said.

Formidable Hurdles

Still, meth use presents some formidable hurdles for users and treatment programs to overcome. "Methamphetamine users tend to present to the treatment system under the worst of circumstances, and sometimes the system doesn't work under the best of circumstances," said Falkowski. The first thing many meth users need upon entering treatment is fairly simple: a few good nights sleep, since they often have been awake for days, she said. Treatment programs also need to sort through users' myriad psychiatric problems, including those that predated the patient's drug use and psychoses brought on by meth use itself. Finally, meth users also typically have a host of physical problems to deal with, notably advanced tooth decay and other dental issues.

"Unlike other drugs, methamphetamine is a neurotoxin, and it damages neural tissue," added Falkowski. "In some cases, people recover from that damage in weeks or months, but some never recover full cognitive function. But that doesn't render treatment a lost cause."

Meth also poses unique problems for communities and law enforcement, including the use and haphazard disposal of chemicals used in clandestine meth production, and child abuse and neglect arising from dangerous proximity to meth labs and the altered time perception caused by meth use, which can lead addicted parents to lose track of things like mealtimes and bedtimes for their children. Finally, the long-acting effect of methamphetamine means that communities and police often confront active but paranoid and delusional users on the streets, posing a significant threat to public safety.

"If there's any good news, it's that only 5 percent of teens say they use meth," said Falkowski. "That's still relatively low." Still, she particularly worries about the drug's appeal to adolescent girls; some young Hazelden patients got addicted to meth "innocently and stupidly" because friends recommended it for rapid weight loss, Falkowski noted.

Having been involved in drug-use trends research for more than 20 years at the state and federal levels, Falkowski said that compared to the crack epidemic, "meth use is growing much less rapidly." However, she added, meth use, once entrenched, is unlikely to quickly fade away as crack did: the drug simply has too much appeal in a society where people work multiple jobs just to get by, and are constantly juggling the responsibilities of home, work, and family.

"As the pressures of our world create a situation where people feel they don't have enough time, meth might seem like an option," Falkowski said.

Editor's Note: The 67-member Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus briefing on methamphetamine treatment will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6 in Room 121 of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Press is welcome. For information, contact Dean Peterson at 202-225-2871.