Star-Tribune staff reports

The Wyoming Statewide Methamphetamine and Substance Abuse Conference is set to begin Wednesday at the Parkway Plaza in Casper.

The two-day conference, now in its sixth year, brings together a mix of local and national substance abuse experts to discuss issues related to methamphetamine and other drugs.

Speakers this year will include Chris Rose, executive director of the Meth Project Foundation, which works to reduce use of the deadly stimulant. Judge Gary Hartman, recently named as a special advisor to Gov. Dave Freudenthal on juvenile justice issues, is also scheduled to speak.

The conference will cover a variety of topics including drug-endangered children, alcohol abuse prevention and the neuroscience of addiction.

The conference has helped to raise public awareness of meth abuse, said Jean Davies, executive director of the Wyoming Meth Project.

"Truly since we've started this six years ago, I feel the public is much more aware of methamphetamine and what it does," Davies said. "Before that, it was somebody else's problem."

New statistics offer encouraging news about meth use in the Casper area. Earlier this year, 27 percent of people who underwent court-ordered drug assessments called meth their primary drug of choice. That figure has declined to 9 percent, Davies said.

Walk-up registration for the conference is available from 8 to 9 a.m. Wednesday. The $100 fee covers both days.

On Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be a free public session with a panel of recovering addicts and families that have been impacted. They will be tell stories of addiction and recovery. The panel will be facilitated by Dr. Bert Toews, medical director of Wyoming Recovery.