A new drug prevention program, aimed primarily at the business community and funded in part with the aid of a grant, is getting underway in Albany and Clinton County.

As being currently advertised in the Clinton County News, the Meth Watch Program is being administered by the local KY-ASAP Board and Adanta’s Regional Prevention Center.

According to Brad Wilson, director of the RPC of Somerset, they received a $5,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to help implement the program in Clinton County. Prevention grants were awarded to 20 prevention coalitions statewide.

Wilson told the News in a brief interview last Friday that the purpose of the funding was to get another stakeholder involved in the anti-drug coalition and the program chosen by Adanta was the Meth Watch program.

The manufacture of methamphetamine in Clinton County and statewide has become a major concern over the past few years and has become one of the easiest–and most dangerous–drugs available in this area and throughout Kentucky.

The new program, which is in the process of being fully implemented via the local ASAP, is primarily designed to alert and educate the business community, more specifically locations that sell products that are commonly used to manufacture the illegal drug.

The program is “primarily based on businesses and a main goal is for them to work with the coalition to increase awareness of items used (in the manufacture of meth),” Wilson said.

Not only are over-the-counter drug medications which are often publicized used in such manufacturing of the product, items such as drain cleaner, lye, and sulfuric acid, to name a few are some of the ingredients in the finished product.

“We will ask businesses to focus on and watch and report suspicious behavior to law enforcement,” Wilson said. He added that local law enforcement officials would play a major role in the Meth Watch program in communicating with business owners and employees who report suspicious activity, such as persons who may purchase the ingredients in large quantities.

The grant program was actually launched in June of last year and was intended to be a nine-month program for use of the funding. But the Meth Watch program implemented is being started as a result of the original grant.

Annual drug forums have been held to education people about the methamphetamine making process and encouraging people to report suspected illegal drug activity to law enforcement for follow-up on information provided to them.

The coalition will assist businesses and their employees about which products are more commonly used, how to store those items on shelves and know what to watch for.

Wilson added another main goal of the program was to be a deterrent to potential meth manufacturers or product purchasers by letting them know their activity is being watched by other people.

Other activities that will be included by the local coalition is posting signs at local businesses that participate in the program and posting information for employees in areas such as break rooms, etc.

“We want to let people know the program is out there and promote community awareness,” Wilson said.

For additional information on the Meth Watch Program in Clinton County, contact Tonya Thrasher of the KY-ASAP at 688-0194 or the Adanta Regional Prevention Center at 606-679-9425.