USA: Conference centers on children, drugs

Children endangered by adults who use or keep drugs in their homes will be the focus of a conference today and Tuesday in Wausau for investigators, emergency responders, child protection workers and others.

The conference, held at the Plaza Hotel and Suites, will educate participants on the devastating effects of drugs on children, and encourage the community to collaborate on efforts to help kids in dangerous homes.

The National Drug Endangered Children Alliance is an initiative by the federal government that involves different groups in the community working together to help children living in drug environments.

Marathon County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Kujawa is leading the effort to begin a program here for drug-endangered children. So far, 11 counties in Wisconsin are working to obtain resources and start drug-endangered children programs, said Cindy Giese, the special agent with the Wisconsin Department of Justice who is in charge of the Wisconsin Methamphetamine Initiative.

"It's all a work in progress," Giese said.

About 300 people from across the state are expected to attend the conference, one of two this year in Wisconsin. The other was held in May in Chippewa Falls.

More and more children are exposed to toxic chemicals from methamphetamine labs in or near their homes. About 3,300 children were found in 8,000 meth-lab homes seized nationwide in 2003, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Children living in a house where methamphetamine is manufactured are exposed to chemicals that are so hazardous that everything in their home must be considered contaminated.

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org/amphetablog.html
Pubdate: Mon, 29 Aug 2005
Source: Wausau Daily Herald (USA)
Author: Jessica Bock
Copyright: 2005 Wausau Daily Herald
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