Meth epidemic under fire across Utah

The Utah Joint Methamphetamine Task Force is charged with addressing the methamphetamine epidemic in Utah and the other serious problems caused by meth use. During a recent meeting, the 34-member team developed a resolution and committed itself to implementing a public awareness campaign to communicate the problems of meth use to the public.

Prior to this unanimous decision, the team reviewed the public awareness campaign that was implemented in Montana, referred to as the Montana Meth Project. This campaign includes very graphic depictions and commentary about the effects meth has on the body, both physically and mentally. Research shows that the campaign has been extremely effective in accomplishing its fourfold mission.

The four goals in Montana were to increase the perceived risks of meth use, decrease the perceived benefits of meth (weight loss, popularity, more energy, etc.), increase parent-child discussions on meth and increase the social disapproval of meth use.

The Montana Meth Project is only one of many public awareness campaigns the Utah Task Force will review prior to the development and implementation of a Utah-based public awareness campaign on meth. The task force will also continue to research the effectiveness of communication strategies in each of the campaigns that will work best to address the meth epidemic in Utah.

The meth epidemic in Utah is dealt with primarily by county government, and county resources are being stretched as they address most of the elements associated with meth users.

Due to this fact, the Utah Association of Counties approached Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. in 2005 to establish a joint task force of state and county officials and departments to approach the meth issue. After several meetings, the task force supports the concept of a traceable public awareness campaign that will affect the meth epidemic by addressing the harm caused by meth within our communities.

Although some task force members are hesitant to implement a public awareness campaign in Utah identical to the Montana Meth Project, the task force is currently in the research phase to determine the campaign messaging most effective for Utah.

The task force has established two objectives: (1) to significantly reduce meth use, and (2) to dramatically increase the level of awareness and dialogue regarding meth.