8-26-13 meth problem growing

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (AP) — After the meth problem in northwest Wisconsin all but disappeared from 2007 to 2010, local authorities say the highly addictive drug is making a strong comeback,  Meth usage is especially high in Barron, Dunn and St. Croix counties.  Eau Claire police Sergeant Andy Falk runs the West Central Drug Task Force. He says there's a big push to tackle the meth resurgence because the drug drives users to commit smaller crimes such as burglary to fund their habit.  The number of suspected meth cases submitted to the state crime lab for analysis last year rose 86 percent to 440. The figure was on a similar pace in the first half of this year.