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LAUNCHES METHAMPHETAMINE TOUR Asa Hutchinson, Director of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will launch a national methamphetamine awareness tour at the first state wide Methamphetamine Summit to be held in Indianapolis on Thursday, 4/25/02. The Not in Our Town tour will stress the importance of attacking this critical international drug problem, one neighborhood at a time. Administrator Hutchinson will travel to 30 states over the next three months to personally address each state's methamphetamine problem and discuss combined law enforcement and community solutions. The Indianapolis summit, which will be hosted by the Indiana State Police and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, will serve as a catalyst for this campaign.
"Drugs are a worldwide problem with a neighborhood solution," said Administrator Hutchinson. "What happens in Indianapolis has a worldwide connection." According to the White House Office of Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), methamphetamine use has spread from rural to more urban areas and accounts for 50% of drug overdoses in the Lake County area alone. Methamphetamine use is increasing in popularity among youth, and prices have decreased from $1420 per ounce in 1995 to $1265 in 1999, indicating increased availability. "The DEA is working hard to target the highest levels of methamphetamine trafficking from seizing clandestine laboratories to working with our state and local counterparts to clean up these toxic sites," added Administrator Hutchinson. "I can't think of a better place to start this tour than right here in Indiana." For additional information, please contact DEA Indianapolis Assistant Special Agent in Charge Richard Sanders at (317) 226-7977 or DEA Headquarters Chief of Public Affairs Michael Chapman at (202) 307-7977. Read the quick Meth Facts. Read the detailed Meth Factsheet. |