Partnership will assess meth issue

More on meth: Cleaning up contaminated properties

The wheels have started turning in the wake of October's meth summit sponsored by the Larimer County Commissioners.

The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Partnership, a group of 34 local agencies, has agreed to look at the issue and do a preliminary assessment of the meth problem in northern Colorado.

Erin Hall, a staff person with the partnership, said the preliminary report will include who the key players are, their perceptions about the issue and estimated costs of a coordinated program. She will also look into whether drugs besides methamphetamines are major problems and how to better coordinate existing programs.

On Dec. 20, Hall will present recommendations to the meth summit steering committee, the group that organized the October meeting. Before a more detailed assessment and planning process can be undertaken, she said, grants and agency funding will likely be needed since the partnership has no extra resources.

The failure of the criminal justice tax in the November election will have an impact on efforts to find meth solutions, according to Randy Ratliff, a member of the partnership and executive director of the Larimer Center for Mental Health. Funds generated by the tax would have paid for programs for inmates with drug or alcohol abuse problems.