Project Activities

Border County Initiative
Education and Training
Drug Endangered Children
Mini-grant Funding
Retail Information
Rural Activities
State Conference
Youth Activities



Border County Initiative

In Fall 2004, the Border County Initiative was created in response to the significant meth problem in counties bordering Oklahoma, due in part to the new Oklahoma law which requires pseudoephedrine products, the main ingredient in methamphetamine manufacture, to be removed from the shelves and sold only by licensed pharmacists. Since that time, numerous law enforcement agencies in counties near the Oklahoma border have reported a significant increase in Oklahoma residents coming to Kansas to purchase or steal the products. See statistics for targeted counties.

The counties participating in this initiative are Morton, Stevens, Seward, Meade, Clark, Commanche, Barber, Harper, Sumner, Sedgwick, Cowley, Chautauqua, Montgomery, Labette, Cherokee, Crawford, and Allen. Funding for the initiative is provided by Consumer Healthcare Products Association. See map of targeted counties.

Beginning in December 2004, town hall meetings were conducted in the border counties to provide information on the initiative. In Spring 2005, three one-day trainings were held in Liberal, Wichita, and Girard to provide further training for implementation of meth prevention efforts.



Education and Training
Project staff and partners have developed trainings for various public and private organizations and have geared the content to the needs of the audience. The Project staff and partners have trained nearly 13,500 people since the Project began. Contact the KMPP if you're interested in a training.

Every training includes the following information:

Trainings can also include the following information:

Length of trainings vary. They can range from 45 minutes to two days long. Project staff are available to travel to the training location.

Audience members have included social workers, prevention and treatment specialists, foster parents, state corrections employees, home visitors, high school students, factory employees, utility workers, law enforcement officers, and business leaders.

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"Crank It Up! Community Meth Prevention Training"

"Crank It Up! Community Methamphetamine Prevention Training" will be held November 16& 17, 2005 at the Capper Foundation in Topeka, KS. Please visit www.parstopeka.com for on-line registration. This workshop is identical to the July 2005 Crank It Up! Community Methamphetamine Prevention Training. Those new to the methamphetamine issue are encouraged to attend.

The workshop will feature video footage of an actual meth lab seized in Kansas. The workshop will also include a panel of people speaking about how their lives have been affected by meth. Time will also be allotted during the workshop for participants to plan localized community prevention strategies.

Day One
The first day of the training will include general meth information, signs of a meth lab, methods and materials used in production, lab cleanup issues, Kansas meth legislation overview, treatment issues,and effects on children.

Day Two
Numerous strategies that have been proven successful in Kansas communities will be the focus of day two. Strategies include retail strategies, rural strategies, public awareness strategies, media and legislative advocacy tips, neighborhood strategies, Drug Endangered Children strategies, and home visitor strategies.



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Mini-grant Funding
The Project distributed small amounts of funding to communities in nearly 50% of all of Kansas' 105 counties in 2003. Two types of funding were dispersed: Drug Endangered Children mini-grants and mini-grants for prevention activities. The purpose of the mini-grants was to empower local communities to address the multi-faceted meth problem locally.

Drug Endangered Children Mini-grant Funding
The Project provided funding for Drug Endangered Children programs to 15 Kansas communities in September 2003. These funds were specifically used to deal with children found in clandestine methamphetamine labs. Click here for a list of the DEC recipients in Adobe Acrobat.

Prevention Mini-grant Funding
The Project provided 46 Kansas communities with funding in February 2003 to develop methamphetamine prevention projects. Communities used the funding for a variety of activities. They include providing trainings, distributing brochures, holding town hall meetings, and distributing tamper tags. Click here for a list of the Prevention Mini-grant recipients in Adobe Acrobat.

Even though the amount of the mini-grants averaged only $875, mini-grant recipients achieved great outcomes as a result of their prevention activities. Three recipients in particular were recognized for their efforts at the Project's first state conference in September 2003. Each received a recognition award in the amount of $1,000.

Winners were Johnson County Methamphetamine Prevention Project, Rice County Meth Watch, and Russell County Community Partnership. Honorable mentions were Atchison County Dream Team, Guidance Center, Community Health Coalition of Reno County, Haskell County Community Health Organization Committee, and Morris County Anti-Drug Task Force & K-State Research and Extension--Morris County.

Click here for photos from the Recognition Ceremony.


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Retail Information

The Project partners with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to distribute information about KDHE's Kansas Retailer Meth Watch Program. This program engages retailers in the fight against meth. Retailers include grocery stores, discount stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, and agricultural cooperatives.

The Kansas Retailer Meth Watch Program was designed by KDHE, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and a group of Kansas retailers to limit the accessibility of the main precursor product in the manufacture of meth--ephedrine and pseudoephedrine containing products. It was also created to raise the general awareness of the meth lab problem in Kansas.

The Kansas Retailer Meth Watch Program has expanded nationwide. Check out this announcement and map of its expansion.

The Kansas Meth Prevention Project has distributed hundreds of Retailer Meth Watch packets to communities in Kansas and twelve other states. Nearly 40% of recipients of prevention mini-grant funding instituted retail strategies in their prevention projects. These strategies have been successful in both rural and urban areas, and can be adapted to any community. In fact, local community involvement is key to making the Retailer Meth Watch Program successful.

You can receive Kansas Retailer Meth Watch materials from TJ Ciaffone, coordinator of Retailer Meth Watch, and the Kansas Meth Prevention Project. Meth Watch street signs are now available for communities. These 12x20 metal street signs are offered at no cost to Kansas communities. In Kansas, contact TJ Ciaffone to place an order. The signs are also available to communites outside of Kansas for $9.00, plus shipping and handling. Contact the Assistant Coordinator for more information.

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Rural Activities
Since the start of the KMPP, the project has worked with rural organizations to combat the meth problem in Kansas. The K-State Research and Extension service has assisted in trainings, brainstorming, and strategy development. One of the main rural strategies the KMPP pursued in 2003 was the use of the tamper tag. Approximately 74,000 tamper tags were distributed to communities in Kansas. The tag is a small, lightweight, wire device that attaches to an anhydrous ammonia tank, in order to alert a farmer that the tank has been tampered with.

In 2005, the KMPP is pursuing other rural strategies, including locks for anhydrous ammonia tanks. Look for rural updates in 2005 newsletters.


State Conference
The Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project held its first state conference on September 22-23, 2003 in Topeka. The conference included discussion on a wide range of topics: the effects of methamphetamine on children, medical perspectives on meth, Drug Endangered Children programs in Kansas, prevention, treatment, legislation, ethics, and criminal justice issues. Nationally reknowned physician and meth researcher Dr. Rizwan Shah was the keynote speaker.

During the conference, the Project acknowledged a member of the media to receive the first Kansas Methamphetamine Prevention Project Media Recognition Award. The Project acknowledged Jessica LeDuc, a reporter with the Concordia (Kansas) Blade-Empire. She wrote a series of articles on methamphetamine in early 2003. Congratulations, Jessica!

Click here for photos from the state conference.
Click here for a conference agenda.

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Youth Activities

The Kansas Meth Prevention Project also distributes prevention strategies and information for youth. One strategy is the "Life or Meth: What's the Cost" education program for 5th and 6th grade students, provided by Midwest HIDTA. This interactive computerized curriculum is available at no charge at www.lifeormeth.org. CD-ROM versions of the curriculum will be available in Spring 2005. Contact the assistant coordinator for more information.