Locals tell tales of horror, hope at meth forum

It was Auburn's turn Wednesday to confront meth on its home turf.Placer County Sheriff Ed Bonner made it easy for others to tell their own stories during a forum in Auburn on methamphetamine sponsored by his department and county Health and Human Services.A nephew had died eight years ago -- weeks short of his 28th birthday. The cause was meth poisoning, he said."You can be the sheriff of the county and you're not going to avoid it," Bonner said. "We did everything we could. The drug won."Others had similar stories.Auburn's Kristen Davison, 20, told an estimated 260 forum attendees that she was praying the anti-meth message of the meeting would change lives."I pray it touches even one soul tonight," Davison said.Davison said meth took over her boyfriend's life. He died three months ago."I'm here to speak for him," she said. "I lost the love of my life and I don't know if I'll ever find that again."Rhonda Payne of Auburn told the audience about a son who grew up in a drug-free, alcohol-free environment. As drugs took over his life, Payne said she was afraid to call the Sheriff's Department because she felt she would be blamed.Payne's 25-year-old son was five months into sobriety and two days into a rehab program when he disappeared."I'm afraid they're going to find him dead," Payne said.Stories of pain, sorrow and loss revolved around a drug that Bonner and Auburn Police Chief Valerie Harris said has rapidly increased in use over the past half-dozen years."We're filling up jails," Harris said.Harris pointed to 15 auto thefts already reported in Auburn this year as a sign of the jump in methamphetamine use. Last year, Auburn Police arrested 46 people for possession of drugs and 64 arrests were made for being under the influence of methamphetamine or other stimulants, she said.There are 26 million meth users worldwide, she said."What it ends up in, is people coming into the system time and time again, losing jobs, losing relationships, so many things," Harris said.She too has been affected on a personal level by the sweep of the drug. An ex-sister-in-law was a user, Harris said.Demand drives the drug, she said. Few have the willpower to stop, Harris added."Even in Auburn," Bonner said.Dr. Richard Burton, the county's health officer, provided the forum with a description of physical and mental impacts. Paranoia, skin lesions, wasting away and violence to loved ones are some of the most prevalent symptoms.Death is common end result. The drug causes massive releases of dopamine, creating temporary feelings of pleasure. But as the cravings increase so too does the need to use meth even more, Burton said."You don't see a lot of older meth addicts because they die," Burton said.But there is also the hope of recovery."We know for sure that treatment works and recovery is possible," Burton said.Nineteen-year-old Jenay McCubbin, a former meth addict, talked about her own descent into addiction as a 16-year-old Auburn high school student. She's been off meth for three years next month. She and her family found help with Koinonia Crisis Center in Loomis.Families as well as individuals attended the forum. They heard from Rocklin mother of two, Christy Crandell -- whose son is serving a 13-year sentence in Folsom State Prison for armed robbery resulting from his need for money to feed his drug addiction.Crandell said her imprisoned son, Ryan, told her he would be dead if he hadn't been arrested."We visit him every week," she said. "We're so grateful we're not visiting a graveside."Forum participants were encouraged to sign up for an action group on meth that will hold more meetings on the problem as it relates to the Auburn area."With this start, we can create on army on these issues," participant Mitchell Rothbardt said.The Journal's Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.