Another view

The goal of the Montana Meth Project, for those of you who have been living under a rock these past two years, is to reduce first-time methamphetamine use in Montana. It has flooded the state with shocking, gritty commercials, heart-rending radio spots from real-life users and energetic public art campaigns.

And indications are, it's working.

Meth is an addictive stimulant - more addictive than many other illegal drugs - that can be made from common household ingredients, including cold medicine and drain cleaner. Its use first started to cause widespread concern in Montana in the early '90s. By 2005, when the Montana Meth Project was launched, Montana was fifth in the nation for its rate of meth use.

It is now 39th, and many credit the Montana Meth Project for the dramatic decrease we've seen. While meth use among teens has been declining for several years, it has taken an especially impressive dive in the past two years. In fact, the state Office of Public Instruction conducted a survey showing that teen meth use has diminished by 45 percent - three times the rate of decrease before the project started.

As inspiring as those statistics are, they pale in comparison to the 70-percent decrease in meth use among Montana adults in the past two years. This despite the fact that meth use has increased in other states; our neighbors in South Dakota have seen adult meth use ramp up by 8 percent, and in Wyoming, by 6 percent.

Other states have been watching the Montana Meth Project's success and are ready to start meth projects of their own. In fact, the Montana effort's print and broadcast ads have become part of a federally funded prevention campaign that will bring the project's message to other states struggling with high rates of meth use.

That's welcome support for a campaign that received initial funding and ongoing sponsorship from one wealthy individual: Tom Siebel, a part-time Montana resident who made his fortune in the software industry.

Siebel has spent some $15 million on the project, and appears prepared to spend more. However, he has also made it clear he wants the Montana Meth Project to stand on the support of the entire Montana community.

To that end, the project launched a yearlong capital campaign that has raised nearly $1.25 million in donations from individuals and corporations across the state. The Siebel Foundation is promising to match those donations dollar for dollar.

But the challenge closes in a short two weeks.

Contribute:

Mail a donation to the Montana Meth Project Foundation at P.O. Box 8944, Missoula, MT 59807, or called in a contribution by phone at 1-888-366-6384.