By Lori EhdeRock and Pipestone counties are taking the fight against meth to a new level with the collaboration of schools, law enforcement and merchants.In its third meeting of the year, members of the Southwest Meth Task Force gathered in the Human Services Building in Luverne Wednesday morning.The group is using a three-pronged approach to combating meth in the two communities: community education, youth education and merchant involvement."We’ve got a big task in front of us," said Rock County Deputy Evan Verbrugge.The task force is organized through the Rock-Pipestone Collaborative, funded through the counties and administered through Rock-Nobles Community Corrections.Verbrugge heads up the community education arm of the group. Lewis Drug pharmacist Craig Hohn leads the merchant committee and Bonnie Burkett, social worker for Hills-Beaver Creek and Luverne Schools, handles the youth aspect of the Initiative.The group is chaired by Corrections Director Jon Ramlo, Worthington. But he serves as a group coordinator, guiding members Wednesday to arrive at a formal name and mission statement."This is not a law enforcement task force," Ramlo said. "It’s for the education and prevention of meth use in the area."That statement, members agreed, would serve well as the mission statement.At Wednesday’s meeting they reviewed several options for educating the public about meth. Some materials reveal ingredients used in manufacturing meth, so parents and family members can be alert to the existence of hollowed out light bulbs and ballpoint pens, for example.Others talk about physical and psychological symptoms common in meth addicts.April 5 will be the first deadline for the group’s education function. That’s the date Rock County mails out its property tax statements, and a tri-fold flyer will be inserted in that mailing.It will be produced and photocopied in the County Administrator’s Office based on a similar flyer used in Wright County.The county, schools and other agencies agree it’s important to invest time and money into meth education and prevention, because the long-term costs of addiction in terms of treatment programs, out-of-home placements and incarceration.But the intangible costs are even more damaging.Stephanie Pierce, Luverne Community Hospital, said, "There are personal costs, economic costs, socio-economic costs and psychological costs."The message, the group said, is to not start using meth. "We need to intervene at the earliest possible moment," said Rock County Commissioner Jane Wildung.