Siletz news /, April 01, 2006, Page 3, Image 3

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The Serious Impact of Meth
By now most everyone has heard
about meth, short for methamphet­
amine. What most people only know
is that it’s a drug, that it’s harmful, ad­
dictive, and illegal. But how harmful?
What is its impact on families and the
tribe? We need to give much thought
to these questions.
On Feb. 13 at the Affiliated Tribes
of Northwest Indians conference, I
spoke on a panel about meth. 1 would
like to share with you some of the
points I made in that presentation.
We, as council members, hear about
many tragic events. Meth is of special
concern because it’s so easy to obtain
or make. It can be made from common
over-the-counter medicines like Con­
tact, Sudafed, or Tylenol Cold.
In fact, they were so easy to get at
the corner drugstore that now, if you
need Contact or Sudafed, you have to
sign for it. These medicines still are very
easy to get on the street and meth is
easy to make. One can even get the
formula on the Internet.
The effects of meth on its users be­
come evident after just a few months.
Appearance and personal health dete­
riorate. Some of the effects cannot be
restored, for example, the damage to
one’s gums and teeth. The gums be­
come infected and shrink, which results
in decay and loss of teeth.
The Siletz Community Health
Clinic reported in 2005 that meth was
the sixth leading purpose for visits to
our clinic. Also in 2005, our tribe docu­
mented 90 cases of meth mouth in our
dental unit, but in 2004 it was half that
number. Just think about it - the cases
doubled in just one year! We never kept
track prior to that.
Of the 90 cases last year, only 17
have returned to the clinic for follow-up
treatment. Active users generally don’t
return for follow-up treatment and that
also is a sad situation.
If users don’t get follow-up treat­
ment, meth rapidly deteriorates the jaw­
bone, leading to the loss of teeth. The
cost for the clinic to treat meth mouth is
approximately $10,000 per individual.
Treatment is expensive, but think how
expensive not treating it is in terms of
health and the cost of the untreated user
and the social cost to his or her family.
Meth is highly addictive, moreso
than any other drug. Users have a much
lower recovery rate. And like alcohol
and other drugs, it has long-lasting
affects on family and friends.
Users need money for drugs. If it
isn't readily available from family and
friends, they steal it. Horrendous crimes
often are attributed directly to drug
users, including meth users.
Tribal representatives reported that
in Indian homes, heirlooms are now
in pawnshops. Items like buckskin
dresses, gauntlets, and regalia are lost
to families forever. It’s reported this has
occurred on many reservations.
The detrimental effect is not only
on the user, but also on family mem­
bers. In our tribe, ICW reports that out
Delores Pigsley
of 104 cases, meth users account for
83 percent of the parents whose chil­
dren are removed from their care.
Only 13 percent of parents follow
through with their treatment, resulting
in family breakups. The other 87 per­
cent continue in protective custody and
generally are placed with other families.
The fallout is tragic, resulting in
family disputes, parents wanting their
children back, grandparents raising
grandchildren, children being shuffled
between different homes, children
separated from their siblings, etc.
Parents complain that they can't be
reunited with their children, but in many
cases they haven't followed through with
their treatment. We, as council mem­
bers, hear about many tragic situations.
And as the statistics from our health
clinic reveal, the problem is getting worse.
How/when will it end? We don’t
know. Raising happy, healthy families
has been a basic goal of our tribe ever
since we were restored. At that time,
drug use was not the problem it is to­
day. But during the past 25 years, we,
like other tribes, have been caught up
in a growing epidemic of drug use
that’s sweeping our nation.
The cost for treating addiction is
very high for tribal communities. We
are engaged in prevention and treat­
ment programs in an effort to stem the
tide. In Siletz, our Housing program
. offers training sessions on the drug
problem for residents.
The tribe is involved with the Lin­
coln County Meth Task Force. Tribal
residents as well as a member of our
police department are part of that task
force. They meet regularly and have
had several drug busts in Siletz.
What is the tribe’s role? As a re­
sponsible government, it’s our job to
first of all recognize that we have a
problem and begin keeping statistics
so that we know what is happening.
A couple of us attended an eye­
opening meeting at Kah-Nee-Ta a few
months ago. Representatives of tribal,
state, and federal governments shared
important information. The need is
great to provide support services to
users and families that are affected.
Families also must get protection from
users and the crimes that ensue.
A Lincoln County organization has
been formed that includes members of
the tribe, the county, and other agencies
and entities. The district attorney's office
has taken an active role on the team. We
have a long way to go but as a result of
the involvement of the community and
the tribe as well as the county sheriff’s
office, this effort is proving effective.
In closing, we all need to under­
stand that the stakes are high for our
families, our children, and our tribe.
Let's face it, the cost of prevention and
treatment is high, if we do nothing the
cost will be even higher.
Tribes must join together to fight
this epidemic and make it a No. 1 pri­
ority. Currently tribes are looking at
entering into an inter-tribal Memoran­
dum of Understanding to raise the level
of awareness regarding this issue.
Sen. McCain Hears
Testimony on Proposed
Cascade Locks Casino
For many months now, the Warm
Springs Tribe has been struggling to
open a casino in Cascade Locks. Its
application has been subjected to in­
tense scrutiny and controversy.
The latest stormy episode happened
in Washington, D.C., on March 6 before
Sen. John McCain's Senate Indian Af­
fairs Committee. The following report
is based on notes provided by Mark
Phillips, the tribe’s lobbyist.
Appearing in support of the Cascade
Locks casino were Warm Springs Chair­
man Ron Suppah, Hood River County
Commissioner Carol York, and a sur­
prise witness, Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
In opposition to the casino were
Grand Ronde Chairman Cheryl Kennedy,
Michael Lang of Friends of the Gorge
(FOG), and Congressman David Wu, a
surprise uninvited opponent.
Grand Ronde, which runs the most
lucrative casino in Oregon, has con­
sistently opposed Warm Springs’ pro­
posed casino, so it was no surprise the
Grand Ronde chairman would be
present to testify in opposition.
Although the stated purpose of the
hearing was land-into-trust for gaming
and the secretarial two-part determina­
tion processes, it didn't take long for the
hearing to collapse into Wu, Kennedy,
and Lang’s opposition to the proposed
Cascade Locks casino and opposition
to McCain’s bill to amend IGRA by
including a grandfather provision.
When given an opportunity to ask
a question of George Skabine of the
Office of Indian Gaming Management,
Wu charged the Warm Springs Tribe
with having twisted the environmental
impact statement (ELS) process so any
on-reservation alternative was excluded.
Skabine said he would look into this
when his office reviews the tribe’s ELS.
Chairman Suppah and Commis­
sioner York stated that the tribe com­
plied fully with all federal fee-to-trust
and other requirements.
Chairman Kennedy argued that Grand
Ronde was opposed to off-reservation
gaming and also that the grandfather
provision for shutting down the off-
reservation gaming option be done
away with. Lang complained that FOG
had been “shut out’’ of the process and
also argued for doing away with
McCain's grandfather provision.
McCain questioned how Kennedy
could oppose the Warm Springs pro­
posal when Grand Ronde was itself
promoting a Portland casino. Her re­
sponse indicated that the governor had
changed the rules and later said that
if Warm Springs is successful. Grand
Ronde would pursue the Portland area.
As for Lang's complaint, McCain
led Lang to contradict himself by ad­
mitting that FOG had. indeed, taken
part in the EIS process.
Gov. Kulongoski, who was invited
by McCain to testify, presented a strong
statement as to why he supports the
Warm Springs’ Cascade Locks pro­
posal; that no on-reservation casino
would be economically feasible and
that further, the tribe is badly in need
of a viable tribal enterprise in order to
achieve self-sufficiency.
Sen. Gordon Smith, a committee
member, regretted the fact there were
two opposing tribes and ended up say­
ing the current process should proceed.
It's hoped that the issues that are
preventing the Warm Springs Tribe's
proposed casino from moving forward
soon will be resolved.
Remembering
Dolly Fisher
In the March issue of Siletz News,
an article appeared about Dolly Fisher,
who passed away Feb. 9, 2006. We
were given a brief profile of her life,
including her work on Siletz restora­
tion, her having served as a Tribal
Council officer, and of her awards.
Against that background, 1 would
like to say a few words about what she
meant to me and to the tribe.
For several years - even before the
tribe was restored - Dolly ran the CETA
training program in Siletz, funded by the
Urban Indian Program. She helped pro­
vide jobs for our Siletz people and sent
young adults to school for many years.
She cared deeply about her com­
munity and the people who needed
help. She not only worked for the tribe,
but also served on various committees
and the Tribal Council. She and Dan
were mainstays of the community and
we miss them both.
April 2006
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Siletz News
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