JOPLIN, Mo. — Drug abuse is the focus of a statewide initiative — specifically helping those who are using meth or at risk for doing so.

The campaign is called “No Mo Meth” – and it’s targeting our area to hopefully reduce drug use.

“I mean somewhere in the neighborhood of 2% of the population,” said Steve Miller, “No Mo Meth.”

That’s Jasper County residents using methamphetamines.

“If you talk to any law enforcement agency and said what do you think’s the most insidious drug out there, the one that causes the most damage, I think most law enforcement would say, methamphetamine, simply because by nature how addictive it is and how it can create such a such turmoil in the users life,” said Miller.

And meth is now the focus of a statewide campaign called “No Mo Meth.” That includes commercial ads on local airwaves.

“From the aspect of someone who has recovered from it, someone who is has been impacted a family member, a friend, a loved one, as a spouse, so that’s been impacted and they’re kind of telling that story,” said Miller.

The goal is to raise awareness and offer resources to help. If it goes well, it could have an impact well beyond the state line.

“That’s what we’ve talked about in some of the focus groups we’ve had here in Joplin is building something that at the end of the day, we could hand off to another community and with some tweaks they could find success with it there,” said Miller.

The five year campaign is being funded by a national grant. They’ve also got a website with more resources – that link is here.