Pardon the diatribe, but I seem to spend quite a bit of my 'street time' dealing with the psychological fallout of meth and EXctasy(NOT a psychedelic!) use among my acquaintances.
For the last few years, the state of California has spent more money on methamphetamine 'task forces', than it spends on marijuana... and that's where the REAL profits from the 'war on drugs (users)' is made, not on the trade in the substance itself.
Northeastern, right-wing redneck California smells like 'ether wash' wherever you go, the Santa Cruz mountains, rural Oregon and Washington are about the same. Like pot growing, it's sometimes the only income available to the residents of rural America, but it doesn't require months to grow... hours to 'cook' is more like it.
When I was younger, methamphetamine was commonly known as 'Bathtub Crank'(Methedrine being the real 'crank'),because you CAN make it in a bathtub... or kitchen sink. Methamphetamine was pretty much how bikers kept themselves in beer, HD parts, and 'biker chicks' too spun to function for themselves and dependent.
The users tend to be apolitical, which means no test cases or appeals, unlike pot smokers, where a goodly percentage of smokers are more than willing to tell the authorities "See you in court MF".
Meth addicts are also the perfect snitches, and often smoke weed to take the 'edge' off, which leads to pot dealer busts that would have otherwise never occurred. Meth metabolizes quite rapidly, which means that weekly drug testing is a joke, whereas pot can be found using standard drug tests for as long as 90 days. Some pot smokers with addictive or compulsive personalities develop meth habits after they get busted for pot, find themselves on probation with mandatory or random drug tests as a condition of probation.
What I'm trying to say is: I don't believe that the federal OR state governments have any REAL interest in stopping the use of mehtamphetamine, although municipal governments surely do, as the crime, psychological fallout, etc are local issues which tax even the largest city's legal/medical infrastructure.
Nevertheless:
FRONTLINE http://www.pbs.org/frontline/
- This Week: "The Meth Epidemic" (60 min.),
Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings) - Inside FRONTLINE: The story behind the story - Live Discussion: Chat with reporter Steve Suo this Wed. at 11 am et
FRONTLINE has the opportunity from time to time to work with some of the best investigative reporters in the country. Steve Suo of The Oregonian was the lead reporter for that newspaper's award-winning special series on methamphetamine, "Unnecessary Epidemic." This Tuesday in "The Meth Epidemic," you will see how Suo's reporting became the basis for a powerful film by producer/director Carl Byker who has his own list of awards.
Byker's journey into the meth story begins on the streets of Portland, Oregon where he was immediately struck by the impact of meth abuse, and where he had a few surprises. He recounts how a police officer told him to touch the skin of a meth addict who had just been arrested. Meth overdose is signaled by a temperature of over 107 degrees. "The guy was on fire," says Byker.
But crime and human devastation are only one layer in the documentary. As Byker notes, he was glad to have the opportunity to tell the story behind the story - a political tale of Washington politics that shaped how the meth epidemic would play out.
Finally, for you sinus and cold sufferers like me who have come to rely on cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, my first encounter with the meth epidemic was finding out that my favorite cold remedy is no longer sold over the counter. Now I have to ask the pharmacist for it. The program explains why this restriction has already happened in a number of states and large retail stores, and may soon be required nationally by a federal law.
We hope you will join us for "The Meth Epidemic" this Tuesday, and then visit our Web site where you will be able to view the program again in full and, as an option in viewing it online, you can listen to producer Carl Byker's commentary track about the behind-the-scenes filming and reporting. Plus, take the opportunity to express your opinion about it at http://www.pbs.org/frontline/meth/
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Louis Wiley Jr. Executive Editor
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