Summary
First Lady Lori Otter is here in Eastern Idaho to show her support for the Idaho Meth Project.
Story Published: Feb 3, 2010 at 11:13 PM MDT
Story Updated: Feb 4, 2010 at 1:18 AM MDT
Wednesday, teens, tweens, and their families got to hear real life experiences on the effects of methamphetamine and how they too can be affected.
"We have a huge problem in Idaho. It impacts every part of our state," says First lady Lori Otter.
The first lady is traveling the state to stress the dangers of methamphetamine. This is the third wave of campaigns for the Idaho Meth Project. The new set of ads focus on the impact the drug has on friends and family of the user.
"The ads, the video, are true to life. Methamphetamine use is very destructive. It will destroy ourselves, or families, our community. I think the Idaho Meth Project is perfect in educating families," says Tesja Erickson, recovering meth addict.
The free forum is to educate teens and their families on what exactly meth is and how dangerous it can be.
"Meth is the most addictive substance out there that we are currently dealing with. The whole message of the campaign is not even once for a reason," says Megan Ronk, executive director of the Idaho Meth Project.
The Idaho Meth Project launched in January 2008 with a mission to reduce meth use in the state and significantly decrease the amount of first-time use.
"When we started two years ago, I could walk into an auditorium and maybe 30% of the hands went up that people actually recognized there was a problem, let alone know what methamphetamine is. Tonight, today, I could pretty much walk into any part of the state in an auditorium of 400 people and I'll get 90 to 95% of the people have heard of the project, know about the problem, and they know they don't want anything to do with methamphetamine. That's not a scare tactic, it's reality," says First Lady Otter.
The company Monsanto out of Soda Springs donated a $25,000 check to the Idaho Meth Project Wednesday night because they believe it's a campaign that's really working.