Recently, our small town passed a law to restrict the sale of pseudoephedrine, a main component of Methamphetamine. There was a state law in place, but the local mayor decided that that wasn't enough, and a more restrictive local law was passed. A few other local communities followed suit, and passed similar laws.

This week in the local paper, there was a story on a statewide meth conference that acknowledged Cottonwood and 30 other communities in Arizona for their stand against the meth epedemic.

There is also an editorial by the governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano, on how to win the war against meth. Governor Napolitano also initiated CPS reform in 2003. That is a topic for another day.

For more information on the topic of Meth abuse, and how it is affecting child welfare in this country, please visit the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information website. This site has some good information on prevention of child abuse, as well as an overview of child abuse. There are also links on reporting child abuse and how abuse is investigated, and state-specific information. I did a search for AZ and it lists reporting phone numbers and contact info, trainings and conferences, state statutes and other pertinent information.

There is also a conference scheduled for 2006, in collaboration with The Children's Bureau, The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and others, to focus national attention on the problem of meth use as it pertains to child welfare. Representatives from states, federal agencies and non-federal partners will be invited to participate in a team effort to determine the extent of the meth problem and formulate an action plan.

Check back here later for updated information on this conference, and for any more news on the fight against meth. Also, let us know how your area is affected by meth, and what your community may be doing about it.