People in southern Minnesota understand the severity of the meth problem that surfaced about a decade ago and that has been fought across various fronts in recent years. While the battle now seems to be going well, any retreat from the pressures that have been applied to meth manufacturers certainly will be viewed by some as surrender. How to maintain that pressure amid federal budget cuts has become the issue at hand.
The Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force has been at the forefront of drug interdiction in the region, along with the many police departments and sheriff’s offices. The task force is facing a $150,000 cut in a federal grant, which the task force’s commander characterizes as small but significant. With the federal government looking to get away from this funding, it would be up to states or local governments to provide it to keep the drug task force operating as it has been. As things now stand, the task force would pull back to Blue Earth County, leaving Nicollet, Watonwan and Martin counties to fend for themselves.
We believe Martin County has benefitted through its involvement with the task force. In combination with effective legislation to limit pseudoephedrine sales, the task force has been active in going after meth labs and putting the purveyors of this dangerous drug behind bars. Minnesota, as a whole, must consider what will be lost if drug task forces now pull back. The state should consider making up all or some portion of the lost federal funding. Short of this, counties and cities will have to commit to spend more, at least in the short term. The meth hazard may be disappearing, but we must spend a few years making certain.
