Our goals for the year 2005

Last November, The Deseret Morning News published a series of in-depth stories examining the problem of methamphetamine use in Utah. Perhaps the most telling part of that series was a story published as a sort of postcript to all the research and the horrific personal accounts. It was a roundup of all the meth-related crimes that had occurred just in the week during which the series ran.

Among these was the arrest of a defense attorney in Ogden who had offered an undercover officer to trade legal services for the drug, as well as the arrest of an 18-year-old woman who was hiding syringes and forged identification in her underwear. This was a perfect illustration of how the problem touches all demographics and all income levels.

That series, combined with accounts given to us by law-enforcement officials and others in the justice system, led us to make an attack on methamphetamine abuse one of our editorial goals for 2005.

The editorial board has a proud tradition of sharing its goals for the coming year each New Year's Day. Naturally, we intend to continue writing opinions on an endless variety of topics during the year. We do not intend to completely abandon the issues we selected as goals in previous years. Not all problems can be neatly tied up within the space of a year. But by publishing a specific set of goals, we identify issues we feel ought to steer our focus and absorb much of our energy.

And we do have a history when it comes to tackling substance-abuse issues. A few years ago, we made the passage of effective drunken driving laws one of our yearly goals. The result was a series of state laws that have since combined to give Utah one of the nation's most impressive records in terms of reducing DUI-related deaths.

When it comes to methamphetamine abuse, the problem at the moment seems overwhelming. The drug is straining law enforcement, child welfare agencies and abuse-treatment centers. Dangerous "meth labs" are in full production in many unsuspecting Utah neighborhoods, and more of the drug is being imported from Mexico. The solution lies in making the problem a public-policy priority. That means funneling more money into treatment centers and programs, as well as into law-enforcement interdiction efforts. It means finding ways to help babies born with health problems because of their mothers' addictions. It means raising the level of public awareness and education.

We have three other goals for 2005. They are:

• To promote responsible immigration reform. As the influx of Hispanics into Utah increases, this promises to be one of the most important public-policy and social issues of the 21st century. It also is an issue that tends to generate heated emotions on both sides, which can impede real solutions.