Talkback
Meth in Oregon: Have You Seen Changes?
In 2006 a new Oregon law took effect imposing the strictest limits on pseudoephedrine in the nation. Oregon is the only state to require a doctors prescription for cold medications, such as Sudafed, containing pseudoephedrine. Also in 2006, Congress passed national limits on pseudoephedrine sales, requiring that medication containing the drug be placed behind the counter in stores and pharmacies. This new federal law also requires tracking of international shipments of pseudoephedrine . Even the U.N. and the government of Mexico have cracked down.
Today, purity is down and the price of meth is up. December was the first month in many years in which Oregon police agencies found no small meth labs. Still, meth remains readily available on the street.
Question: In light of these new efforts in the fight against meth, have you seen measurable changes in your community? Do you think the meth epidemic is subsiding? What's the next step for Oregon?
Reader Responses
Number of comments: 7
Submitted February 8, 2007 04:17 AM
I live in Florida and the meth problem here is unbelievable. My son is addicted to meth along with most of his friends and I can tell you, the pain family members experience is unmeasurable (you become as sick as the addict).I can say for certain that the main distributors of this evil drug are Mexicans(at least in this town). To me the one thing I think that could stop this drug and the ravages on society that it creates. BAN PSEUDO-EPHEDRINE EVERYWHERE........shut down these big factories that make it. Take pseudo-ephedrine away....no more meth.People say oh well then the junkie will just find another drug. So what there is no other drug out there as damaging and deadly as meth. If I had to choose I would much rather my son snort coke than smoke meth.We need to do something about this soon before its too late for a lot of people.
Submitted January 26, 2007 07:03 PM
Meth is a horrible epidemic, especially in the rural communities such as Falls City Oregon where there is no law enforcement. The behavior with meth addicts is so unpredictable and downright scary. We have had guns shot at us in the city limits on our property, crime is awful and just gets worse all the time. The Drug Coalition tries to help but without support it is difficult to get anything done. Two women in town were harassed and threatened at a city council meeting then the group of druggies followed them to the store screaming they were Crack Whores this went on for an hour while the women hid in the store until they could finally get out of there. I have had death threats at my home, email threats, put up with our animals being maimed and killed. We live with surveillance cameras on constantly. It is disgusting the type of behavior we have been subjected to at our own home. The terrorism we have gone through no family should ever have to endure and it is absolute nonsense all due to drugs. To bad no one can get a handle on it and I so agree with banding together, most of our town is far to afraid to stand up, we have found that is for very good reason the POWER behind the drug dealers is much greater than I ever realized was possible.
Submitted January 23, 2007 11:21 PM
For over a year now, I've been an intern @ a treatment center for an Oregon Drug Court. Because the Drug Court participants are in our treatment program for at least a year, I have witnessed them go from rock bottom to now living a life that not even they themselves could imagine. Meth had ripped apart thier lives-wiped away thier morals, values, self-esteem, dignity, respect,and complete sense of self. Through Drug Court they have the chance to build themselves back up one baby step at a time.
I feel that the next step for Oregon is to step up the funding for Drug Courts.
Submitted January 23, 2007 11:13 PM
I'm not sure where these "experts" are getting their information but since the cold medicine law went into effect in July, the availability of meth hasnt changed in the least and and the quality has only improved. Yes the Mom and Pop labs are much fewer,but quantity and quality ,if anything, has gotten much better. Meth has been around for a long time -the Japanese kamikazes and Hitler and his troops used it,although I have a feeling it wasnt made with cold medicine. Its all about supply and demand,like so many other things in our world,as long as there is demand there will be supply.
Submitted January 23, 2007 11:06 PM
I live in Yamhill County; on the periphery of the metro area, with its multitude of rural nooks and crannies, meth production has been a major problem. Though I've not knowingly had contact with users, mail theft, leading to identity theft is a constant concern. I will happily take the excellent information provided by the followup program as evidence its production is down.
What concerns me is the apparent lifetime rewiring of its victim's brains, and the description of their never-ending desire to use again. It's obviously more of a temptation to the less educated, thus its pool of users remain at the ready when our economy plunges or their lives become more difficult. Or, a meth source and purity yet again become readily available.
I suggest our next step be cutting off the supply lines with it's apparent age-old producer and distributor - Mexico. With a quickly growing culture tied to Mexico, both amnesty legal and outright illegal, an underground subculture exists that will quickly distribute the next source of meth. I applaud Mexico for making an attempt to seize illegal shipments from China, but it's quite telling that it would land there in the first place. If another Amnesty is granted, or the continuing influx of illegal aliens from Central America continues to be ignored, its only a matter of time before meths next reincarnation hits Oregon, if not the entire Nation.
Thank you OPB and PBS, you are truly a public service organization.
Submitted January 23, 2007 10:50 PM
As an Oregonian, Mother and for the past 19 and a half years, a recovering Meth addict, I know that treatment works! But it has to be coupled with support from a program and family members. I have seen some amazing things happen through my recovery and that of other Meth addicts.
It is imperative that there be more funding earmarked for treatment. We can continue to eliminate the Meth labs, but if we don't eliminate the demand, there will always be more drugs to replace Meth.
I personally know of the wonderful work Ontrack does for families every day and I know Treatment doesn't only educate and treat the addict, it treats the family. This makes treatment one of the best medical investments anyone can find. It's worth the cost it will save our children, communities, and society as a whole.
Submitted January 23, 2007 10:08 PM
i just want to say you did a good thing with the frontline program. i am one of the lucky few who were able to kick the habit successfully. i had never really heard of meth when i tried it back in 1999, and no idea of just how addictive it was, and just how easy it was to aquire. it is a vampire drug. it just sucks the life right out of you; as well as your morals, values and self-worth. when people think of meth addicts, they picture those who wear visible signs of the addiction, not those just starting out. we really do need to band together to stop this cycle.
- Stats on Meth
- Only nine factories manufacture almost all of the world's ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine.
- Source: Gene Haislip, Former Head of Drug and Chemical Control, DEA
