The Partnership has launched a new addition to its award-winning community outreach program, Meth360®, to help curb use of the highly addictive illicit drug methamphetamine in the Hispanic community.

A través del Cristal Meth (Through Crystal Meth) brings together law enforcement officers, substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals to co-deliver meth awareness presentations to parents and concerned citizens. The presentation educates Spanish-speaking parents about the devastating effects of meth, emphasizing the need to communicate with teens about the dangers.

Methamphetamine abuse is a growing concern in the Hispanic community. Research shows that almost half of Hispanic teens don’t see great risk in trying methamphetamine once or twice, and 1 in 3 Hispanic teens report having friends who have used meth.

A través del Cristal Meth is designed to help the Hispanic community take action against this threat. The program has been specifically tailored to reflect the needs of the Spanish-speaking community in the U.S., providing tools and resources to help parents protect their children and loved ones from this dangerous drug.

The program also combines personal stories of Hispanic teens and adults in recovery from meth addiction with testimonials from their parents, highlighting the real-life, devastating impact of meth on families and lives.

For more information about A través del Cristal Meth or to download free presentation materials, visit www.drugfree.org/meth360, sign up and click on Resources and Downloads.

Drugs pose dangers well beyond the harm they cause to those who use them. With Earth Day on April 22, the Partnership is shedding light on the ways illicit drugs can impact our environment.

Did You Know?

• Manufacturing one pound of methamphetamine creates five pounds of toxic waste. Chemical byproducts from meth are found in parks and forests and can linger in soil and groundwater for years, posing immediate and long-term environmental health risks. The number of meth labs has been decreasing since 2005, but meth cooks are finding new ways to produce this dangerous drug in smaller mobile labs. The chemicals are highly toxic, and waste dumped into streams, rivers, fields, backyards and sewage systems can contaminate water resources for humans and animals.

• Coca plants, the source of cocaine, are grown in the rainforests of Colombia. Nearly 500,000 acres of Colombian natural forest are destroyed every year, mainly due to the plantation of coca plants, and the primary cause of air pollution in the Colombian jungle is the burning of forest to make way for coca plants. The production of two pounds of coca paste generates 1,300 pounds of trash and contaminates 200 gallons of water. Consequently, for every one gram of cocaine consumed, 43 square feet of Columbian rain forest is destroyed.

• Approximately 60 percent of outdoor marijuana cultivation in the United States takes place on America’s public lands where growers are less likely to be discovered because of their remote location. This comes at a high cost to the environment: for every acre of forest where marijuana is grown, 10 acres are damaged by fertilizers and other toxic chemicals. (In 2007 alone, an estimated 756,000 pounds of illegal pesticides and fertilizers were used to grow marijuana; In other words, for every 11.5 marijuana plants grown, it’s estimated that 1.5 pounds of illegal pesticides and fertilizers are used.) Between 2007 and 2008, 700 marijuana growing sites were found in California’s national forests and parks. These sites are riddled with dead deer and bears, victims of poison growers use to keep animals away.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America today announced the findings from the 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), which revealed remarkable, sustained declines in several drugs of abuse - notably methamphetamine (meth) - over the past several years.

According to the study, teen meth use has experienced a steep three-year drop, with past-month use down to 3 percent of teens - a significant 25 percent decline versus 2005. Teen attitudes about meth use corroborate this drop - 83 percent of teens see great risk in using meth regularly, about 85 percent see great risk in “getting hooked on meth” and more than half of teens, (54 percent) see trying meth once or twice as very risky.

Additionally, the study revealed the first major increase in the number of teens who reported “learning a lot” about the risks of drugs from their parents. The study shows that 37 percent of teens reported learning a lot about the risks of drugs from their parents, a significant 16 percent increase from the previous year and the first major increase since the inception of the study.

The study also indicates a strong correlation between increased teen exposure to anti-drug messages on television and a decreased likelihood of trying drugs over the past ten years. Four out of ten teens (41 percent) agreed that anti-drug messages made them more aware of the risks of using drugs and less likely to try drugs (42 percent).

“The strong declines in illegal use of meth and other drugs of abuse combined with the news that teens are learning a lot about drugs and alcohol at home emphasizes the power and influence of parents,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership. “It also underscores the continued need for strong anti-drug messages and drug-education programs to stop teens from trying meth and other drugs of abuse.”

The 20th annual national study of 6,518 teens in grades 7-12 is nationally projectable with a +/- 1.6 percent margin of error. PATS Teens 2008 was conducted in private, public and parochial schools for the Partnership by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research. For more information and the full PATS Teens Report visit www.drugfree.org.

“I started using when I was 13. I wanted to know what was so great. Just drinking and smoking weed. I quickly went downhill from there. I started stealing my mom’s prescription pills and taking them a few times a week. Then it was coke and meth. Then it was heroin. Once I tried heroin my life was over… or so I thought.” That is how Jordan Hinds describes her long and painful road to drugs, and ultimately, to recovery. (See videos of her recovery journey here.) Two years ago, ER doctors told Jordan that it was a miracle she was still alive. She had always been the beautiful, popular girl, with many friends, a loving family and a huge social life. Now, she weighed 89 pounds, had sores on her face, couldn’t eat or swallow because her throat was sore from smoking, began cutting herself, and was numb and in a deep depression - Jordan was a heroin addict.

At first, no one seemed to be the wiser, because Jordan was keeping up that façade of working, going to school, making straight “A’s,” and hanging out with her friends. Eventually, she started selling drugs to support her habit, dropped out of school and refused to see her family. “That’s what the drugs do to you, one moment you’re really, really happy, and then, when you come off the drugs, you become very self-destructive and hate everything and everyone around you,” Jordan said.

One night, after running away from her parents and going on a drug binge, Jordan knew she needed help - desperately - but was scared to talk to her parents. When Jordan’s mother realized that Jordan was in trouble, she had her drug tested. “I failed with flying colors,” Jordan laughs. “It was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Her mother took her to the ER to detox, and then to a treatment facility where she stayed for over three months. “My mother stayed with me through thick and thin, and was always there when I wanted to give up on my treatment,” Jordan remembers. “If you stick with it, no matter how hard it gets, you can recover from your addiction - you just have to want it badly enough.”

Now, after two years of recovery, Jordan still goes to AA meetings and has a sponsor. She surrounds herself with positive people and maintains a positive outlook on life, and she knows that family is the #1 thing in her life. “I have great friends now and great relationships with my family. I got a full ride scholarship to college, and I’m going to school to be a counselor and help teens who are going through what I went through,” Jordan said. “The biggest lesson I had to learn was that you can have your life back!”

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, in conjunction with the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), has launched a new ad campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of methamphetamine abuse in American Indian/Alaska Native communities across the country. The campaign, which includes public service messages for radio and print, as well as posters, is the first national meth prevention initiative developed specifically for Indian Country.

“This campaign is meant to empower tribal communities to take action to address the ever-rising meth problem,” said Mike Townsend, Executive Vice President at the Partnership. “Through increased education and communication between parents, elders and teens, communities can become more resilient to the meth threat. It’s our hope that these public service messages will encourage that dialogue and blunt meth abuse in those communities.”

Nationally, Native Americans, including American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, experience the highest rates of methamphetamine abuse among all other ethnicities, a factor that creates a negative ripple effect throughout communities. A 2006 report from the Bureau of Indian Affairs indicates that 74% of tribal police forces rank meth as their greatest drug threat, and 48% report an increase in child neglect and abuse cases due to increased methamphetamine use.

The research-based campaign has a dual focus, with radio, print and poster ads aimed at Native youth, and print and radio messages targeting Native adults and elders. The new youth radio spots embrace the theme of “Who Am I?” (listen here) which acknowledges that Native youth often straddle two worlds, the traditional way of life and modern society. The spots also explore how identity struggles may increase teens’ vulnerability to meth, and encourage youth to draw strength from their traditions, heritage and connection with other teens to avoid the trap of meth (listen here).

Alina Diaz of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America said Native American community leaders are hopeful the ads will get parents and children talking about the problem. “Increased education and communication between parents, elders and teens is one of the most important factors in preventing meth use,” she said. “The ads encourage youth to draw strength from their traditions and heritage to avoid the trap of meth. They also aim to encourage Indian adults to stay involved in their children’s lives.”

For more information and a how-to guide of tips and advice for fighting meth in Native communities, visit www.ncai.org. Public service messages are being distributed on a pro-bono basis by NCAI, the Partnership and various community groups. Interested communities may contact April Hale at 202.466.7767 or ahale@ncai.org.