Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families Arizona Methamphetamine Task Force Division for Substance Abuse Policy Progress Report August 2008 GOVERNOR NAPOLITANO’S ARIZONA METH TASK FORCE PROGRESS REPORT Table of Contents Preface ....................................................................................................................... 3 A Message from the Task Force Chair ......................................................................... 4 Task Force Members ................................................................................................... 5 An Introduction to Governor Napolitano’s Plan for Action ............................................. 6 Progress in Arizona’s Plan for Action ............................................................................ 8 A PLAN FOR ACTION: Ten Priority Recommendations ............................................... 10 Recommendation #1: ................................................................................................ 11 Recommendation #2: ................................................................................................ 13 Recommendation #3: ................................................................................................ 14 Recommendation #4: ................................................................................................ 16 Recommendation #5: ................................................................................................ 18 Recommendation #6: ................................................................................................ 21 Recommendation #7: ................................................................................................ 23 Recommendation #8: ................................................................................................ 25 Recommendation #9: ................................................................................................ 26 Recommendation #10: .............................................................................................. 27 Conclusion: Creating the Progress Arizona Needs ...................................................... 29 2 Preface The purpose of the Arizona Methamphetamine Task Force Progress Report: August 2008 is to make our progress in the battle against methamphetamine transparent to the citizens of Arizona. The Governor’s A Plan for Action: Addressing the Methamphetamine Crisis in Arizona reported that over the past decade Arizona had seen a steady rise in the reporting of methamphetamine-related drugs as the primary illicit drug used by individuals seeking treatment. A Plan for Action also reported that methamphetamine use placed a disproportionate burden on law enforcement and the treatment and child welfare systems, making meth abuse not only a public health crisis but a public safety concern because of the devastation, violence, and crime associated with the manufacture and distribution of the drug. The Plan for Action priority recommendations included: • • • • Stopping the cross-border trafficking of methamphetamine and its precursor chemicals Expanding the availability of treatment including the allocation of funds Enhancing Arizona’s prevention strategy Creating a coordinating body to oversee these efforts and to hold entities accountable for implementing recommendations This Progress Report shows that the Task Force has been responsive to its initial charge and has made significant strides in addressing the Plan for Action priority recommendations since its inception in August 2006. We have real and tangible outcomes and have created an infrastructure that will continue to respond to this specific drug threat. The Task Force Progress Report serves as a recommitment by the Task Force to continue its momentum in the upcoming year, keeping Arizona strong against the methamphetamine crisis. 3 A Message from the Task Force Chair When Governor Janet Napolitano appointed the Arizona Methamphetamine Task Force in August 2006, she charged the Task Force with developing a comprehensive strategic action plan to tackle the state’s growing methamphetamine problem. She specifically requested identifiable and action-oriented recommendations that would address: • • • Prevention and reduction of methamphetamine use Treatment and rehabilitation of methamphetamine use Interdiction and enforcement related to methamphetamine use The Task Force was also asked to expand the existing statewide coalition network for the purposes of developing and maintaining continuous communication among local anti-methamphetamine coalitions, and to provide the coalitions with opportunities to network and share successes, best practices, and resources. We embraced the Governor’s call to action with enthusiasm and commitment and diligently worked to accomplish our mission over the past year. The Task Force acknowledges that other system improvements remain that must be addressed; however, we appreciate this opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments that we have made in such a short time working together as “One Arizona” to eradicate methamphetamine from our state. This Progress Report will highlight our outcomes and chronicle our ongoing efforts to strengthen our capacity to respond to the threat of this substance. As the Task Force continues to regularly meet, we keep making progress in the achievement and implementation of our original recommendations. As we move forward, we also continue to modify, revise and change the plan recommendations as we learn what works and what does not. There is much more to be accomplished as we proceed and continue to work toward measurable outcomes. We continue to be relentless in our pursuit to make a significant impact in the enforcement, prevention and treatment of the meth problem in Arizona. Barbara LaWall, Chair Pima County Attorney 4 Task Force Members Honorable Barbara LaWall, Pima County Attorney, Chair Aimee Amado, Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T., Arizona Department of Economic Security Arizona Anthony Coulson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Billie Grobe, Chief Probation Officer, Yavapai County Brian Wilcox, Narcotics and Organized Crime Bureau, Arizona Department of Public Safety Carol Chicharello, AHCCCS, Tribal Relations Liaison David Denlinger, Commander, Arizona Department of Public Safety Dean Wright, Compliance Officer, Arizona State Board of Pharmacy Don Sherrard, Sergeant, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Don Stapley, County Supervisor, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Hope McDonald Lonetree, Councilwoman, 20th Navajo Nation Council Jane Irvine, Director, Community Outreach and Education, Arizona Attorney General’s Office John Dempsey, Chief Administrator, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections Kathy Karam, Program Manager, Arizona Criminal Justice Commission Kathy Rice, Prevention Education Specialist, Arizona Department of Education Len Ditmanson, M.D., Medical Director, COPE Behavioral Services Mike Parra, Commander, Phoenix Police Department Pat Benchik, Executive Director, COPE Behavioral Services Rich Rosky, HIDTA Coordinator, NMCI Southwest Meth Initiative Scott Cocuzza, Business and Community Member Steve Schieman, Investigations Officer, Target Corporation Steve Tyrrell, Program Manager, Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts Sylvia Homer, Colorado River Indian Tribe Methamphetamine Coalition Terri Rozema, Captain, Metropolitan Counter Narcotics Alliance, Tucson Police Department Tracy Hastings, Lead Substance Abuse Clinical Advisor, Arizona Department of Health Services Warren Koontz, Inter Tribal Council Workgroup Members David Neri, Captain, Commander of Operations Division Midtown, Tucson Police Department Don Sherrard, Sergeant, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Dr. Frank Scarpatti, Executive Director, Community Bridges Glen Gardner, Commander, Phoenix Police Department James Buzard, Chief Probation Officer, Coconino County Melissa Lee, Demand Reduction Coordinator, Drug Enforcement Administration Nancy Hansen, Substance Abuse Specialist, Arizona Department of Economic Security Ad Hoc Task Force Advisory Member Dennis Embry, Ph.D., President/CEO, PAXIS Institute Governor’s Office For Children, Youth and Families Irene Jacobs, Executive Director and Senior Policy Advisor Kim O’Connor, Director, Division for Substance Abuse Policy Tonya Brown, ATR Project Director, Division for Substance Abuse Policy Briana Kreibich, Anti-Methamphetamine Program Administrator, Division for Substance Abuse Policy 5 Responding to a Crisis: An Introduction to Governor Napolitano’s Plan for Action Governor Janet Napolitano created the Arizona Methamphetamine Task Force in August 2006, in response to Arizona’s decade-long increase in the number of individuals regularly using methamphetamine and the resulting increase in social and economic cost. Governor Napolitano instructed the Task Force to approach Arizona’s methamphetamine problem holistically, focusing equally on enforcement, prevention, and treatment. She specifically charged the Task Force with identifying specific, action-oriented recommendations to eradicate methamphetamine use in Arizona and to build safe and healthy communities throughout the state. Because no single organization can confront the methamphetamine crisis alone, the Task Force was designed to unite a diverse group of agencies to implement a common, results-oriented plan of sciencebased strategies to eradicate methamphetamine use. According to Governor Napolitano, “It will take everyone in the community to solve the problem, and we will only be as successful as our commitment to producing the kinds of results needed to build safe and healthy communities throughout Arizona.” In January 2007, the Task Force convened more than 400 professionals, program and policy experts, and community leaders from across the state to develop recommendations for effectively confronting Arizona’s methamphetamine crisis. Utilizing the input from the participants of this summit, the Task Force formulated 10 priority recommendations for the state and an accompanying action plan to implement the recommendations. The recommendations are based on a multi-system approach in which all relevant assets, agencies, and personnel are involved in addressing the crisis from all sides. In May 2007, the Task Force released the 10 priority recommendations in A Plan for Action: Addressing the Methamphetamine Crisis in Arizona. Immediately upon publication of A Plan for Action, the Task Force began implementation of its recommendations. The Chair of the Task Force, Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall, ensures that all members have a resolute focus on the outcomes that the recommendations are designed to achieve. “We are committed to what works,” LaWall says, “and we have assembled a diverse group of leaders and experts who are capable of confronting Arizona’s methamphetamine challenge with the best, most effective strategies.” In the five years prior to the creation of the Task Force, Arizona saw an increase of nearly 300 percent in the number of methamphetamine-related hospital admissions. The 2007 Substance Abuse Epidemiology Profile reported that a higher percentage of individuals involved in the child welfare system (Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T.) who also sought drug treatment stated that methamphetamine was the primary drug they used in the 30 days preceding their enrollment in substance abuse treatment. Of those receiving substance abuse treatment services who were not participating in Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T., over 21 percent of male clients stated that even though alcohol was the primary substance they used in the 30 days preceding their enrollment in substance abuse treatment, methamphetamine was the primary drug they used prior to enrollment in treatment. As for females, more than 36 percent of female clients who reported using substances in the 30 days preceding their enrollment into substance abuse treatment reported methamphetamine as the primary substance used, which was higher than the percentage reporting using alcohol prior to enrollment in treatment. 6 In addition to the high number of adults reporting methamphetamine use, the 2007 Substance Abuse Epidemiology Profile revealed that the percentage of Arizona youth reporting methamphetamine usage was higher than the national average. Rural counties appear to be especially hard hit by this drug, as the percentages of youth in some rural counties reporting methamphetamine usage are higher than statewide figures. According to the 2007 Substance Abuse Epidemiology Profile, methamphetamine is the only drug that middle- and high-school girls use at higher rates than boys, and the high rates of usage among adult females suggests that the problem continues for girls into adulthood. Finally, the existence of fewer methamphetamine labs in Arizona indicates that production has moved across the border, resulting in an increase in methamphetamine trafficking from Mexico. The overall environmental and public safety challenges that follow from the crisis are significant and require solutions from multiple sectors of Arizona society. The Task Force’s 10 priority recommendations were formulated to address the multiple facets of the methamphetamine problem in Arizona, and A Plan for Action is a highly-focused, outcomes-based approach to implementation. As a general framework for the formulation of the 10 priority recommendations, the Task Force was guided by the strategic goals set forth by Governor Janet Napolitano: • • • • To share effective solutions in prevention, intervention, treatment, and enforcement with every Arizona community and to enable every family, citizen, and organization to participate in developing effective solutions To develop collaborative efforts among treatment, intervention, prevention, and law enforcement to assess and address the impact of methamphetamine statewide To develop community-driven, grassroots statewide policy recommendations sensitive to the needs of Arizona’s diverse communities To measure and celebrate our successes and to quickly change, modify, and eliminate ineffective policies and practices The 10 recommendations are the result of substantial community input, an exhaustive review of practices across the nation, a thorough analysis of data and trends, and high degrees of collaboration among state and community institutions, many of whom had no prior history of interaction. The result of the recommendations is an energetic and outcomes-focused plan that is currently achieving significant results. 7 Progress in Arizona’s Plan for Action Each recommendation in A Plan for Action is accompanied by a clear and focused set of action steps. The action steps are strategic _ that is, they are aimed at creating systematic changes in the way that Arizona addresses its methamphetamine problem so that the plan’s objectives become reality. In keeping with the multi-sector nature of the plan, more than a dozen agencies have responsibility for overseeing and implementing the action steps. The Task Force ensures that each action step is oriented toward measurable outcomes that can be tracked. Since the release of A Plan for Action in May 2007, the Task Force is pleased to report that real and measurable progress is being made. Specific outcomes include: • • • • 8 The creation of the Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership (ASAP). In June of 2007, Governor Napolitano signed Executive Order 2007-12 establishing ASAP. Chaired by the Governor’s Chief of Staff, ASAP is composed of representatives from state government entities, federal entities and community organizations. ASAP serves as the single statewide council on substance abuse prevention, enforcement, and treatment. It is ASAP’s mission to ensure community driven, agency supported outcomes to prevent and reduce the negative impacts of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs by building and sustaining partnerships among prevention, treatment and enforcement. The awarding of a three-year competitive discretionary grant of approximately $8.3 million by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. The goals of the grant are to expand capacity, support client choice, and increase the array of faith-based and community-based providers for clinical treatment and recovery support services. Arizona's Access to Recovery (ATR) program will develop and implement a cost-effective treatment and recovery support services voucher system for individuals with methamphetaminerelated substance use disorders who are involved in one of the seven participating county-based adult drug courts and two tribal communities. Objectives include developing and implementing a voucher-driven process for methamphetamine users that offers choice of service providers and creating a broad network of eligible treatment and recovery support service providers for adult drug court-involved methamphetamine users. The dramatic reduction in the number of clandestine methamphetamine labs due to regulatory efforts to control retail-level sales restrictions of precursor chemicals. These regulatory efforts have impacted the small-scale laboratories that purchase precursor chemicals locally. As a result of these regulations, Mexican produced methamphetamine distribution has increased in the southwest region. Being selected to participate as one of only eight states in the United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Methamphetamine Initiative. This initiative will provide Arizona with the assistance and expertise of Strategic Applications International who will help Arizona establish and enhance problem-solving strategies that will encourage community policing efforts that combat the use and distribution of methamphetamine. • • The Tucson/Pima County Meth Free Alliance's Neighborhood Intervention Project engaged four severely drug-impacted neighborhoods with the goals of reducing crime, improving the residents' quality of life, and creating sustainability for their successes. In an area of 80 percent rental property, the neighborhood associations engaged local landlords to make a commitment to make their properties meth-free zones and assisted local law enforcement in ridding the square mile area of existing criminal elements. These strong partnerships with local law enforcement, the business, treatment, faith and prevention communities, and the Pima County Attorney's Office led to increased prosecutions for criminals and long-term solutions for people affected by drugs. The project is now expanding to other neighborhoods throughout the county. In collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office, Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Cochise and Yavapai Counties adopting new Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Protocols to guide their partnership with enforcement and Child Protective Services. Six other counties are currently drafting protocols that should be adopted in 2009, which means that by 2009, 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties will have adopted DEC protocols. 9 A PLAN FOR ACTION 10 PRIORITY RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Create a single point of contact to orchestrate the statewide planning and delivery of services specific to methamphetamine. 2. Fund site-based prevention specialists to enhance the capacity of school districts to engage in prevention efforts. 3. Promote the use of evidence-based media campaigns to reduce the production and use of methamphetamine. 4. Identify and implement evidence-based prevention strategies to prevent high-risk populations from using methamphetamine. 5. Expand treatment services for adult and juvenile methamphetamine-related offenders. 6. Develop a framework to improve access to substance abuse treatment statewide. 7. Reduce trafficking of methamphetamine and its precursor chemicals. 8. Implement and support continuous data collection methods to track pseudoephedrine sales and methamphetamine-related arrest information through multi-system approaches. 9. Expand the reach of Drug Endangered Children Protocols to all communities and tribal governments. 10. Implement an immediate response system to clandestine meth lab sites and other methamphetamine-affected properties to reduce the negative environmental impact of methamphetamine. 10 Recommendation #1: Create a single point of contact to orchestrate the statewide planning and delivery of services specific to methamphetamine. Action Step A: Appoint the Director of the Governor’s Division for Substance Abuse Policy to coordinate statewide planning by creating the Governor’s Office of Substance Abuse Policy and empowering it to act as a single point of contact. Action Step B: Empower one single State Substance Abuse Council to report to the Director of the Office of Substance Abuse Policy on effective solutions to prevent, intervene with, and treat methamphetamine abuse and related problems and to orchestrate local planning and delivery of community services specifically related to methamphetamine. Action Step C: Create a central clearinghouse to share best practices; disseminate information on evidence-based prevention, intervention, and treatment options; and provide grassroots strategic direction to the State Substance Abuse Council and local substance abuse coalitions. Action Step D: Conduct coordinated data collection among all state and county agencies for the purpose of producing an annual report assessing the nature and depth of the methamphetamine problem in Arizona; producing a quarterly report card on the status of prevention, treatment, and enforcement outcome indicators; and through justice mapping, identifying targeted impact areas for funding. Given the multiple agencies and community organizations involved in implementing A Plan for Action, the Task Force recognized that a single, high-level office was needed to maintain the momentum of the effort and ensure that it was producing the desired outcomes. Since May 2007: • • • • Governor Napolitano appointed Kim O’Connor, Ph.D., Director of the Division for Substance Abuse Policy, as the states single point of contact for substance abuse policy. Governor Napolitano signed Executive Order 2007-12 in June 2007 establishing the Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership (ASAP) as the central clearinghouse for all policy and budgetary matters relating to substance abuse issues. ASAP is housed within the Division for Substance Abuse Policy. ASAP members adopted by-laws and approved all standing subcommittees, including Meth Task Force, Underage Drinking Prevention Committee, Epidemiology Work Group, Emerging Issues Subcommittee, Co-Occurring Policy Advisory Team and the Workforce Development Committee. The Workforce Development Subcommittee defined prevention “evidence-based practices” and began identifying programs and strategies that meet the definition. The Substance Abuse Epidemiological Work Group published the 2007 Substance Abuse Epidemiology Profile and completed its methamphetamine quarterly report card. 11 • • 12 The Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families, Division for Substance Abuse Policy published the Impact of Substance Abuse: A Snapshot of Arizona in July 2007 showing that methamphetamine use remains the most significant and persistent substance abuse problem in Arizona due to several factors. Although there has been a consistent decrease in the number of youth and adults reporting lifetime and past 30-day methamphetamine use, a corresponding decrease in the number of methamphetamine-related lab seizures, and overall methamphetamine possession, distribution and production arrests, the economic, public health and social burdens of methamphetamine use upon the citizens of Arizona have increased. This is especially evident in the number of substance abuse treatment and hospital/emergency department admissions. Considering the increasing number of admissions to treatment services, current data suggest that methamphetamine use has a disproportionate impact on health care admissions and the public substance abuse treatment system. In addition, Arizona youth are more likely to use methamphetamine than are their peers across the nation, methamphetamine has a large impact on the judicial system in Arizona, and our border with Mexico is targeted by those seeking to traffic methamphetamine throughout the United States. The Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) received $125,000 in funding through the Arizona Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) to support infrastructure/data capacity-building among its member tribes. ITCA keeps the Substance Abuse Epidemiology Work Group abreast of its progress and the Work Group supports ITCA's efforts wherever possible, including surveying Native American youth using the Arizona Youth Survey (AYS) in order to inform tribes of youth substance abuse consumption and consequence patterns. Recommendation #2: Fund site-based prevention specialists to enhance the capacity of school districts to engage in prevention efforts. Action Step A: Distribute and implement evidence-based screening tools to assess students at high risk of developing substance abuse addiction. Action Step B: Empower (train, motivate, fund a prevention specialist to coordinate) local schools to identify and implement age-appropriate, evidence-based training and educational materials (effective, evidence-based programs and strategies) that meet the needs of children exposed to or at risk of harm (high risk students) to reduce their risk of addiction. Action Step C: Fund site-based prevention specialists to enhance capacity of school districts to engage in prevention efforts. Arizona’s methamphetamine crisis affects far too many young people, and as a result, the Task Force gave top priority to designing new forms of prevention in partnership with local school districts. Their efforts are off to a promising start. Since May 2007: • • • • The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and Department of Education (ADE) began the development of screening best practices guidelines and began training personnel statewide in December 2007 on employing the screening tools that are useful in determining students at risk of methamphetamine exposure. ADHS completed a draft of the documents How to Make a Referral to Behavioral Health Services and Road Map to the Behavioral Health System. Training for ADHS prevention providers in the screening guidelines began December 2007. The Department of Education completed strategic planning on October 26, 2007, for its School Safety and Prevention Program so that school districts will be capable of implementing evidence-based training in 2008. The evidence-based programs and strategies are based on the United States Department of Education's Principles of Effectiveness that require districts to design and implement programs, strategies, and activities based on research or evaluation that provide evidence that they prevent or reduce drug use, violence, or disruptive behavior. The Department of Education developed a new budget proposal to fund site-based prevention specialists so that school districts have the personnel needed to make prevention efforts successful. 13 Recommendation #3: Promote the use of evidence-based media campaigns to reduce the production and use of methamphetamine. Action Step A: Review the best and most effective evidence-based media strategies to determine which approach can best reach the goal of preventing methamphetamine use in the State of Arizona. The Governor’s Division for Substance Abuse Policy identified five media campaigns that promote the dangers and affects of methamphetamine use. Since May 2007: • • 14 The Arizona Meth Project Not Even Once campaign was launched in April 2007 and is modeled after the Montana Meth Project. The goal of the project is to educate youth, young adults and their parents about the addictive powers of methamphetamine. The media components consist of radio commercials, internet ads, billboards, and public service announcements. The Arizona Meth: Use & Attitudes Survey 2008, released June 12, 2008, details the shifts in attitudes towards meth in Arizona since the introduction of the Arizona Meth Project: ✓ The rate of parents speaking with their children about meth use has increased to 44 percent (up from 26 percent in 2007). Forty-seven (47) percent of parents who discussed meth with their children cited television commercials, radio, or billboard advertisements as prompting discussion. ✓ Sixty-two (62) percent of teens cited television, radio, billboards, and posters as “valuable” sources of information about meth. ✓ Sixty-eight (68) percent of teens (up from 45 percent in 2007), 61 percent of young adults (up from 35 percent) and 65 percent of parents (up from 36 percent) have said they see methrelated public service announcements at least once a week. Ninety-one (91) percent of teens, 89 percent of young adults and 90 percent of parents have seen meth-related television commercials. ✓ Eighty-three (83) percent of teens and 76 percent of young adults reported seeing or hearing one or more of the Arizona Meth TV and/or radio ads. ✓ Seventy-six (76) percent of teens and 58 percent of young adults said that the ads made them less likely to try or use meth. ✓ Teens who reported that one or two uses of meth posed “great risk” increased from 73 percent in 2007 to 85 percent in 2008. Ninety-four (94) percent (up from 87 percent in 2007) said that trying meth just once posed a great risk to “getting hooked on meth,” and 92 percent of teens said in 2008 that they strongly disapproved of using meth once or twice (up from 89 percent). The Tucson/Pima County Meth Free Alliance Public Awareness Campaign used "social marketing," which is used to change the way people think or behave. The primary component of this campaign was the use of public service announcements illustrating the negative effects of methamphetamine on the local community and providing resource referrals. They utilized radio spots, television spots, and billboards and reached over 8,000 viewers. • • • The Partnership for a Drug Free America television and radio public service announcements were developed in response to research into perceptions related to methamphetamine use. In addition, the current efforts of the campaign in Arizona involve educating the public through media and community outreach efforts. This campaign has distributed public service announcements to businesses throughout Wilcox, and the Methamphetamine Education Campaign was presented to community organizations and schools in partnership with the Meth Task Force of Wilcox Against Substance Abuse (WASA). After a year (in 2006), the WASA demonstrated a 16 percent decrease in emergency room admissions for meth-related illnesses, a 59 percent decrease in meth-related arrests by the Wilcox Police Department, and an increase in parents’ perceptions of meth being a health risk. A 30-minute television special Meth Too Close to Home was crafted and aired in Southern Arizona on all major television channels. Cox Communications Just Once DVD and website recognize former methamphetamine users who tell their stories of how meth negatively impacted their lives. The Northwest Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine has participated in a program with COX that shows high school students the Just Once DVD and listens to their feedback. The Coalition received an Innovative Strategies Award from Governor Napolitano in September 2007 for scheduling shredding events to prevent identity theft and reduce the effects of methamphetamine on communities. The Coalitions’ Youth Awareness Subcommittee joined with Cox and the Scottsdale Unified School District to host two youth summits with over 750 participants. These summits formed a part of the My Choice. My Voice: Just Once campaign. Just Once was rebroadcast 6 times in 2008 after the first broadcast on November 28, 2007. Arizona Crystal Darkness, which used radio, television, video, and print media in both English and Spanish, aired a methamphetamine documentary on April 15, 2008, across the state. Crystal Darkness executed media roadblocks to educate communities and help victims of methamphetamine. Nearly every network-affiliated and independent Arizona television station simultaneously broadcasted this shocking and in-depth documentary on the dangers of crystal methamphetamine. In the first hour and a half (by 8:30 p.m.) after Crystal Darkness aired in Arizona on April 15, the help hotline number recorded 353 total calls, of which 144 were calls seeking treatment for the caller or family members, 13 were calls requiring immediate crisis attention, and 20 were crime or law enforcement-related calls. By 11:00 p.m., more than 400 calls had come in. Forty-nine (49) percent of households in Phoenix, or about 470,000 households, tuned into Crystal Darkness, according to Nielsen Ratings. Although statistics are not available for Tucson and Yuma, Nielsen estimated that roughly 619,000 households watched the program across the state. 15 Recommendation #4: Identify and implement evidence-based prevention strategies to prevent high-risk populations from using methamphetamine. Action Step A: Provide funding and technical assistance to each of the state’s anti-methamphetamine coalitions implementing evidence-based prevention strategies. Arizona is taking a proactive approach to mobilizing county, tribal, and state efforts through the AntiMethamphetamine Initiative. This is a multi-phased initiative funded by the Arizona Parents Commission on Drug Education and Prevention which provides funding to county and tribal anti-meth coalitions. The funding supports the development and implementation of evidence-based strategies utilizing a data driven community needs assessment process. Since May 2007: • • • • • • 16 The Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families, Division for Substance Abuse Policy completed a two-day training event for the state’s 17 methamphetamine coalitions in September 2007. The training provided the coalitions both program and financial information to support implementation of Anti-Methamphetamine Initiative funding. The Yavapai County Methamphetamine Advisory Task Force (MATForce) held 2 trainings on cooccurring disorders (approximately 75 participants) and 1 on motivational interviewing (15 participants). The Yavapai MATForce developed the Evidence-Based Practices for the Treatment of Methamphetamine Abuse in Yavapai County document which was presented to the coalition’s executive committee and to 45 community members during a public meeting. The Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force coordinated with the Rio Rico High School to bring the Compass Health Care’s C.A.S.T. (Clean and Sober Theater) to local schools. C.A.S.T. is a youth substance abuse prevention and peer education program designed to motivate youth and teens to make educated choices about drug and alcohol use. A total of 600 students viewed the performance. The Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force produced a film Santa Cruz County Metro Task Force Crossing the Line (The Dangers of Methamphetamine). The students who participated in the film are Rio Rico students, most of whom are seniors and graduated in 2008. The film was based on the “Movie Making Process” of The Northern Lights: Shining the Light on the Meth-edemic by Taproot, Inc. In December, the film was entered in the Taproot Contest and was awarded honorable mention. The Pinal County Anti-Meth Coalition developed a Neighborhood Meth Watch with 67 residents of the Adelante Juntos neighborhood. This “squad watch” resulted in a search warrant and 10 methamphetamine-related charges. • • • • • • • • • The Pinal County Meth Coalition distributed methamphetamine awareness and education information to detainees, including treatment referral resources, via Casa Grande Alliance methamphetamine booklets. They also worked with the detention center to have treatment phone numbers placed onto a “free call” list within the jail phone system, and distributed a 20-page methamphetamine awareness insert throughout all of western Pinal County via the Casa Grande Valley Newspaper. The Tucson/Pima County Meth Free Alliance began work with the Pima County Sheriff's Department to rid the Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association and Community Coalition area of existing criminal elements and are beginning work on another Meth Free Alliance neighborhood intervention. In addition, the project documented their success and methods in their recent publication Turning the Corner- Reclaiming Your Neighborhood from the Negative Effects of Meth and Other Drugs: A Neighborhood Intervention Guide and disseminated the information to other neighbors and communities. The Northeast Valley Coalition hosted 2 youth forums in partnership with Cox Communications in October and November 2007 with 750 students in attendance. Also, because shredding personal documents makes it more difficult for criminals using methamphetamine to commit identity theft, the Coalition hosted 2 document shredding events in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills that attracted 550 participants. The Mohave Substance Treatment, Education, and Prevention Partnership (MSTEPP) held the “Walk Away from Drugs” event engaging 2,300 community citizens, including youth, in a pledge to not use meth. The Coconino County Alliance Against Drugs (CCAAD) developed a social marketing campaign that included the distribution of 46,500 newsprint tabloids, public forums, county and culturally sensitive tri-folds on methamphetamine. The Apache County Drug Free Alliance provided school and communities within their area with education presentations to discuss steps the community can take to combat methamphetamine. They partnered with law enforcement, public health and youth organizations to present the message of a “drug-free county” to 10,600 citizens. The Yuma County Coalition conducted over 50 drug educational classes and community fairs that focused on Trickle Up Learning. This learning style educates parents through teaching kids. The Navajo County Coalition Against Drug Abuse facilitated 49 presentations that provided information on drug awareness and prevention to 14,000 county citizens. The Graham County Coalition reached 2,604 county citizens through drug education fairs. 17 Recommendation #5: Expand treatment services for adult and juvenile methamphetamine-related offenders. Action Step A: Seek state, federal, and/or private funding to increase the number of drug courts available throughout the state, as well as mental health courts and family drug courts. Action Step B: Ensure that strong case management interventions are practiced for druginvolved families. Action Step C: Provide focused, evidence-based methamphetamine and other drug prevention and treatment to juveniles and adults incarcerated in Arizona. Since May 2007: • • • • • • • • 18 The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), and related agencies and providers now regularly meet to ensure the timely and most appropriate services are in place for the offender population. The Arizona Department of Economic Security (ADES) awarded the Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. Meth Grant to enhance engagement and retention while strengthening service integration for families impacted by methamphetamine use. The grant was awarded in October 2007 and the implementation process has been on-going since that time. The recovery coach coordinator was hired and all five recovery coach positions available have been filled. The first referral was accepted on April 1, 2008. ADES developed new drug testing guidelines and distributed over 5,000 copies to all field offices statewide. The guidelines were designed to improve case management for drug-involved families, and due to the success of the guidelines with staff and stakeholders another 5,000 copies have been ordered for distribution. ADES developed practice points for child welfare staff related to improving case management for drug-involved and methamphetamine-impacted families. The practice points include Risk Domains of Six Fundamental Safety Questions for Methamphetamine Abuse, Safe, Family Centered Responses to Methamphetamine, Substance Abuse Screening, and How to Successfully Engage Clients. These guides were distributed to all field offices statewide. ADES coordinated statewide training involving over 480 employees related to Child Protective Services and Families Impacted by Methamphetamine. The Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) developed a pilot methamphetamine program aimed at improving evidence-based prevention and treatment for incarcerated individuals. The AOC Juvenile Justice Services Division and ADHS agreed to investigate a method to certify substance abuse services providers contracted within the ADHS system to provide substance abuse services to juvenile drug courts. The Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC) established systems to identify the incidence and prevalence of methamphetamine-related disorders. As of March 2008, 176 youth (30 percent) had a diagnosis related to methamphetamine. • • • • • • • • • • • • ADJC created classification criteria to identify and place the most severely chemically dependent youth in intensive treatment. Currently, 108 youth are being served in 4 chemical dependency units. ADJC trained 100 percent of its treatment staff in the use of the Seven Challenges Program and an additional 19 staff as program leaders. This includes line level staff training, program facilitation and leadership/fidelity training. The Seven Challenges Program, developed by Robert Schwebel, Ph.D., is designed specifically for adolescents with drug problems, to motivate a decision and commitment to change and to support success in implementing the desired changes. The program simultaneously helps young people address their drug problems as well as their co-occurring life skill deficits, situational problems and psychological problems. ADJC implemented the Seven Challenges Program in the Chemical Dependency Treatment Units and the Mental Health Treatment Units and is currently serving 159 youth. ADJC trained family liaisons at each of its four institutions to provide support to parent education groups on youth drug use. ADJC has trained 100 percent of all staff members assigned to the specialized chemical dependency and/or mental health treatment units (which represents 30 percent of all secure care staff) in the areas of increased competency. This initial training focuses on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and integration with Seven Challenges Program and New Freedom Program. The New Freedom Program, ADJC’s core treatment program, is a curriculum-based approach to building a practical self-efficacy. This curriculum is designed for delinquent youth, including gang members, to learn and practice the skills needed to resist risk factors, enhance protective factors, and construct productive, satisfying lives. ADJC is currently in the process of an extensive staff development project targeting treatment programming of youth with severe chemical dependency needs (usually associated with methamphetamine use), co-occurring mental health needs, or both. ADJC adjusted its monthly monitoring report in July 2007 to code trends, incidence, and prevalence data. Subsequent data monitoring has shown that reviewing drug type has limited utility. Continued monitoring will be based only on incidence, prevalence, and severity of drug use. ADJC analyses of data indicated a need for added capacity (an additional fifth unit) for specialized chemical dependency treatment beds in secure care which will increase available beds by 24. ADJC is reviewing a proposal to convert a core treatment unit to a chemical dependency treatment unit. ADJC identified two federal grants that will support the development of chemical dependency units in secure care: The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Grant (RSAT) and the Co-Occurring State Incentive Grant (COSIG). This and other planning objectives related to priority recommendations five and six as well as other Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership (ASAP) initiatives are supported from the combined total grant amount of $263,466. ADJC is in the process of training 19 secure care personnel in fidelity monitoring of evidence-based practices established for the chemical dependency and mental health treatment units. ADJC developed and implemented quality review processes to determine the quality of delivered chemical dependency and mental health services. ADJC collaborated with local universities to provide practical opportunities to 23 graduate level interns in the areas of family and clinical treatment. 19 Recommendation #6: Develop a framework to improve access to substance abuse treatment statewide. Action Step A: Create and fund treatment alternatives to incarceration. Action Step B: Ensure that adults and juveniles have access to reentry treatment services for meth once released from county jails, tribal jails, and state prisons. Action Step C: Continue to allocate funds for the construction and operation of new treatment facilities (including rural and tribal locations) to ensure immediate access and reentry for methamphetamine and related drug treatment. Action Step D: Continue to enhance and improve access to family-centered treatment statewide. Since May 2007: • • • • • • • 20 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment awarded Arizona a three-year, $8.3 million Access to Recovery grant to support the Governor’s plan to expand methamphetamine treatment and recovery services through drug courts. The Administrative Office of the Courts wrote and submitted a budget decision package for $500,000 that would broaden drug court alternatives for methamphetamine treatment. The ADHS, ADJC, and ADC completed an exhaustive referral list of providers of methampheta mine-specific treatment in Arizona and a detailed data tracking matrix to ensure that all individuals in need of reentry services are referred appropriately and tracked. The ADHS, Department of Behavioral Health Services provided funding through the agency’s Addiction Reduction and Recovery Fund to create 52 additional Level IV stabilization beds and to increase outpatient services in Globe, Gila River Indian Community, Holbrook, Payson, Winslow and Yuma. The ADHS held a summit in September 2007 aimed at improving family involvement in substance abuse treatment, designed curriculum for family centered treatment, and began training of agency staff, which is continuing through 2008. The summit had 100 attendees. The ADHS, Department of Behavioral Health Services, supported three demonstration sites in Pima and Maricopa Counties and on the Gila Indian Reservation. These sites provide evidencebased, long-term treatment for individuals with addiction to methamphetamine, while collecting data to gauge the effectiveness of the treatment. The Yavapai County Adult Probation Department implemented a deferred prosecution Drug Offender Treatment Program (DOTP), which currently serves 209 clients. Nearly 10 percent of the program’s clients since inception have been successfully discharged. • • • • • • • • The ADJC trained 40 community corrections staff in initial case planning for substance-involved youth to ensure continuity of care from secure school through community re-entry. ADJC completed and updated all protocols and collaborations with state Regional Behavioral Health Authorities (Magellan Health Services, Cenpatico, Community Partnerships of Southern Arizona and Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority). ADJC trained 100 percent of its facility and community corrections staff, including chemical dependency personnel, in the Readiness for Release procedure to bridge treatment and chemical dependency services from secure care services to community services. Eighty-five (85) percent of ADJC Community Corrections staff received 32 hours of in-depth Motivational Interviewing (MI) training (an evidence-based substance abuse intervention strategy). Of those 85 percent, seven personnel will be involved in leadership development training for motivation interviewing facilitation. ADJC identified two federal grants that will support the development of chemical dependency units in secure care: The Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Grant (RSAT) and the Co-Occurring State Incentive Grant (COSIG). This and other planning objectives related to priority recommendations five and six as well as other Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership (ASAP) initiatives are supported from the combined total grant amount of $263,466. ADJC is in the process of securing agreement with its contracted treatment providers to consult with youth while still in secure care to aid in the seamless transition of treatment services. ADJC trained a significant portion of community corrections staff in 16 hours of Adolescent Treatment Issues. ADJC established a Family & Clinical Internship Program that facilitates the implementation of family involvement and community transition process for youth. 21 Recommendation #7: precursor chemicals. Reduce trafficking of methamphetamine and its Action Step A: Call on the federal government to aggressively pursue a plan to develop an enhanced chemical control system that quickly implements more stringent and effective inspections of incoming conveyances for methamphetamine and its precursor chemicals. Action Step B: Enhance enforcement efforts throughout Arizona through heightened partnerships among state, local, tribal, and federal authorities to interdict and seize precursor chemicals, methamphetamine and other drugs, and drug proceeds in an effort to disrupt and impact major drug trafficking organizations utilizing Arizona highways and borders as drug transportation routes. Action Step C: Identify new technology, training programs and intelligence sharing capabilities to improve the effectiveness of the inspection process and drug interdiction (combined with Action Step B in September 2007). Since May 2007: • • • • • • • 22 Governor Napolitano met with Sonoran Governor Bours on June 15, 2007, to advance border security partnerships with a focus on drug trafficking and communicated Arizona’s border needs and concerns to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Arizona’s law enforcement agencies developed statewide and county methamphetamine enforcement strategies and began implementation in December 2007. Law enforcement agencies developed new information sharing models and practices and have developed solutions to gaps in information tracking systems so that traffickers and targets can be more effectively pursued. Eight of the 35 targets identified are being actively investigated. The Investigative Support Center has scheduled site visits on the other targets with the out-counties. In December 2007, federal, state, and county law enforcement agencies began holding formalized Regional Law Enforcement Coordinator Meetings. Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Investigative Support Center (HIDTA ISC) sent a threat assessment survey to all Task Force Commanders on July 5, 2007. On September 21, 2007, the meth assessment was distributed to all 15 county sheriffs and other Arizona law enforcement. AZ HIDTA Executive Board and Arizona County Sheriff’s Association were briefed on the Governor’s Meth Strategy, Action Plan, and the Threat Assessment on July 10, 2007, in Flagstaff. • • • • • On April 9, 2008, the Mohave Area General Narcotics Enforcement Team (MAGNET) successfully executed “Operation Picture Perfect” with the assistance of officers throughout the state and members of the Northern Narcotics/Organized Crime District resulting in the arrest of 30 suspects, the seizure of 314.13 grams of methamphetamine, and seizure of approximately $1.7 million of property. Over 80 representatives attended The Four Corners Meth Summit on June 13, 2008, in Holbrook, Arizona. This Summit increased the sharing of information and implementation of coordinated strategies among tribal nations, federal agencies, Department of Public Safety (DPS), and county and state task forces and coalitions. ACJC and HIDTA successfully negotiated with the Colorado River Indian Tribe to participate in the HIDTA Native American Project. The tribal council has approved the grant agreement with ACJC, and HIDTA staff is preparing a funding proposal for the HIDTA Executive Council. The AZ HIDTA Southwest Meth Initiative created the HIDTA Indian Country Seizure Form for submittal for tribal police agencies to report narcotic seizure information to the HIDTA ISC for post seizure analysis and data collection. The AZ HIDTA Southwest Meth Initiative conducted a training assessment survey with the tribal police agencies to determine training needs to address drug interdiction efforts. As a result the AZ HIDTA, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be coordinating regional training opportunities for the benefit of the tribal police agencies and their bordering county and local police departments. 23 Recommendation #8: Implement and support continuous data collection methods to track pseudoephedrine sales and methamphetamine-related arrest information through multi-system approaches. Action Step A: Implement the Arizona Arrestee Reporting Information Network (AARIN) in all county jails and detention facilities to collect and analyze arrestee drug use data to provide local communities with an understanding of drug-involved arrests and crimes. Action Step B: Implement and fund an electronic tracking and monitoring system for all retail pharmacy stores to track pseudoephedrine sales throughout Arizona. Action Step C: Enact state statute mandating electronic tracking of pseudoephedrine purchases. Since May 2007: • • • • • • 24 The Maricopa County Sheriffs, city police chiefs and the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) hired new staff to oversee data management, implemented data collection processes, and began publishing quarterly reports for communities on methamphetamine use and treatment. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and HIDTA Maricopa Meth Lab Task Force secured federal support for a secure web-based tracking system and has begun tracking electronic sales records, with a pseudoephedrine monitoring and tracking unit assigned to support the system. The Intelligence Threat Assessment on Methamphetamine was completed through a law enforcement partnership in September 2007 and distributed to all law enforcement agencies in Arizona. Law enforcement agencies throughout the state held the Law Enforcement Strategic Planning Meeting in November 2007. The meeting allowed law enforcement agencies to develop a strategic plan to address methamphetamine in the State of Arizona. This plan included the development of a list of the state’s top meth distributors. Law enforcement agencies established Phoenix HIDTA as the central intelligence collection location for sharing information in the state as of November 2007. Participants of the November strategic planning meeting completed the Strategic Planning Matrix and Executive Summary in February 2008. Recommendation #9: Expand the reach of Drug Endangered Children Protocols to all communities and tribal governments. Action Step A: Ensure that all communities and tribal governments are provided with the training and technical assistance needed to implement Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Protocols to ensure the safety of all Arizona children. Action Step B: Conduct an assessment of the implementation of current DEC Protocols and encourage implementation of DEC Protocols in jurisdictions where they currently do not exist. Action Step C: Provide necessary technical assistance and training in all jurisdictions and communities where DEC Protocols are not currently utilized. Action Step D: Develop long-term strategies for continued follow-up with Drug Endangered Children. Since May 2007: • • • • • The Attorney General’s Office trained community and tribal representatives from across the state in the Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Protocols, which has resulted in a greater number of communities adopting the protocols. In the last fiscal year, 2,246 individuals representing law enforcement, Child Protective Services (CPS), community organizations, and prosecutors participated in DEC Protocol training. Several Tribal governments are in the process of adopting DEC Protocols which involves revising the Tribal Code. The Attorney General’s Office continues to provide technical assistance and training DEC Protocols. A multi-agency committee consisting of the Attorney General’s Office and Departments of Economic Security, Education, and Health Services identified gaps in the state’s systems for dealing with drug endangered children. With the reduction in meth labs, consideration is being given to how counties can expand existing Child Abuse Protocols to facilitate joint law enforcement and Child Protective Services responses in drug trafficking and other serious child abuse and neglect cases. 25 Recommendation #10: Implement an immediate response system to clandestine meth lab sites and other methamphetamine-affected properties to reduce the negative impact of methamphetamine. Action Step A: Expand the number and availability of contractors to implement clean up of hazardous meth-affected properties and to handle follow-up inspection to ensure that the property has been properly remediated, with an emphasis on rural and tribal communities. Action Step B: Strengthen Arizona Revised Statute §12-1000 to hold individuals accountable for the remediation of meth-affected properties condemned for exposure to methamphetamine. Parallel with the national trend of dramatic decreases of methamphetamine laboratory seizures, Arizona methamphetamine lab seizures have also declined. The Arizona Board of Technical Registration has established an electronic system to identify seizures in the state and track the certified clean up of these properties. With the decrease in seizures came a decline in methamphetamine-related consequences, including the number of adults arrested, children affected, disposal costs, cases prosecuted by the Attorney General’s office, and the number of child victims. The following tables illustrate the number of methamphetamine lab incidents between the years of 20022007 (Table 1) and the number of powder methamphetamine laboratory seizures between the years of 2002-2006 (Table 2). Since 2002, the number of methamphetamine incidents and the number of powder methamphetamine laboratories have dropped significantly. Table 1 shows that methamphetamine incidents have decreased from 254 in 2002 to only 8 in 2007. Table 2 shows that the number of powder methamphetamine laboratories seized has decreased from 204 in 2002 to 10 in 2006. Table 1. Arizona Methamphetamine Lab Incidents Source: EPIC/CLSS as of 1/2008 26 Table 2. Number of Powder Methamphetamine Laboratory Seizures in Arizona These methamphetamine incident and laboratory seizure statistics indicate that smaller operations continue to decrease in frequency and are no longer the immediate threat that they once were. Reasons for such decreases include increased community awareness of the methamphetamine problem, coordinated commitment from law enforcement, and methamphetamine precursor legislation at both the national and state level which has made it more difficult for methamphetamine laboratory operators to acquire necessary chemicals. However, such decreases have not necessarily reduced the supply of imported methamphetamine or the demand for the drug. According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Methamphetamine Threat Assessment 2008, Mexican drug trafficking organizations have expanded their methamphetamine distribution networks specifically in methamphetamine markets previously supplied by local midlevel and retail operations. The Threat Assessment also reports that methamphetamine abusers and distributors are increasingly engaging in identity theft to fund drug purchases and distribution operations. Therefore, although Arizona has seen a significant reduction in the number of methamphetamine-related incidents and the number of methamphetamine laboratories seized, the state continues to be faced with a host of other methamphetamine-related issues that still negatively impact the state’s quality of life. 27 Conclusion Creating the Progress Arizona Needs Arizona’s methamphetamine crisis has required a new kind of action. Governor Napolitano’s A Plan for Action was designed to meet the crisis with a course of action large enough to reverse it. It was also designed to do so in a way that is focused, results-oriented, and tightly coordinated. For these reasons, the plan has been designed to bring a wide variety of agencies and stakeholders together under one strategic initiative that places a premium on progress and accountability. Its design ensures that progress under each of its recommendations is made through the careful, forward-looking activity of the responsible agencies. It does not leave progress to hope alone. Its implementation under the Methamphetamine Task Force and oversight through the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families-Division for Substance Abuse Policy ensure that progress is created, not hoped for. This annual report demonstrates that progress is something we are achieving. By establishing measurable outcomes for each recommendation month by month, and tracking progress toward them, Governor Napolitano’s A Plan for Action will continue to be a relevant document–a perpetual declaration of commitment to eliminate methamphetamine in Arizona. Arizona has much to achieve in its strategy to combat methamphetamine, but its progress over the past year should give Arizona’s residents the confidence that we will continue, month by month, to achieve each and every goal. 28