Seminar To Focus On Arkansas Community Drug Prevention Efforts

SPRINGDALE, Arkansas -- The Benton County , Arkansas Prosecuting Attorney's office and the Arkansas Drug Free Rogers and Lowell organization are co-sponsoring a regional methamphetamine planning meeting and educational presentation on the dangers of drugs Wednesday and Thursday.

The event is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Jones Center for Families with a presentation by Isabel Burk, director of the Health Network, a recognized authority on addiction and drug use.

Burk said in a telephone interview Monday from her office she intends to present "a very practical set of things parents can look for and know about to help their children stay safe from methamphetamine. Mainly, we'll be talking about good strategies on how to keep children safe from methamphetamine."

U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-3rd District, Arkansas is expected to speak at Thursday's meeting sponsored by Bob Balfe, Benton County, Arkansas prosecuting attorney.

That meeting will "provide community leaders with valuable information and guide participants through a process aimed at developing a strategic plan for the prevention of methamphetamine" abuse, Balfe noted in an information packet detailing the meeting.

Greg Hoggatt of Drug Free Rogers Lowell said the Thursday session will be a working group to develop plans for functional methamphetamine prevention programs for Washington County, Arkansas Benton County, Arkansas and the region as a whole.

"The Wednesday presentation is open to the public, certainly," Hoggatt said.

"Thursday is sort of by invitation only but we have asked a broad cross-section of people from the business community, our area mayors, police chiefs, probation and parole people. We don't just want to generate a document. We want to come up with a working plan for methamphetamine prevention in Northwest Arkansas," Hoggatt added.

Methamphetamine use and production in Arkansas has reached epidemic proportions, Balfe said quoting national statistics.

Statistically, Balfe noted that Arkansas ranks toward the top on the national charts for methamphetamine lab seizures per capita and was the highest in the nation in 1999, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

Arkansas State Crime Lab records also indicate only six meth lab seizures in 1994, growing to 434 in 1998 and 953 in 2002.