Time to stop the scourge of Carson City

Sheriff Kenny Furlong has made it a top priority for law enforcement. Mayor Marv Teixeira and the supervisors have made it a top priority for Carson City.

It's the scourge of methamphetamines, and we believe its eradication should be a priority for every resident of the community.

A workshop today by city leaders and experts in the field marks the beginning of a public campaign against what amounts to a plague of drug abuse. It reaches into every corner of Carson City - youngsters and adults, rich and poor, blue collar and white collar.

At the meeting today, city leaders hope to formulate a strategy for how this campaign is to be conducted. We don't know what that strategy will be, but we know the first step toward recovery, whether it be an individual or an entire community, is to admit the problem exists.

We are heartened to see Furlong and Teixeira confront this problem head-on. Yes, law enforcement and particularly the Tri-Net Task Force have battled the criminal element of methamphetamine trafficking for many years. In addition, drug treatment programs and counseling centers have dealt with the crushing consequences of addiction on users and their families.

But for too long it has been little more than an undercurrent, the little-discussed dark side of Carson City. The time has come to shine a very bright light on the problem.

Ironically, as this editorial was being written, a reader called to express his disgust with the Nevada Appeal for devoting a front-page story to recovery from methamphetamine addiction. It's a issue few people care about, he insisted, and even fewer are affected by.

Wake up, Carson City. These are your sons, your daughters, your grandchildren. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away. If you don't know a family that has had to deal with methamphetamine addiction, count yourself as fortunate. The rest of us can't say the same.

We wholeheartedly endorse city leaders' efforts to fight back against a drug and its distributors who have grown like a cancer on a decent, hardworking community. We ask that you do the same.