Side note: In my state they have made it almost impossible to get enought psuedoeptherdrine to make up Meth for home use with new laws restricting its sale. The result is an increase in robberies and thefts (not to mention gang crime which is new to our small city) to pay for Mexican Meth (known here asn Ice) which is more expensive and for some reason has flooded the area. So that there is just as much meth use as before but now the dangerous crime rate is up as well.
jim
--- Leigh Meyers <leighcmeyers at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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/
>
> <...>
>
> Louis Wiley Jr.
> Executive Editor
>
>
> We're always happy to hear from our viewers. If you
> have a question or
> comment about a FRONTLINE program, about our Web
> site, or about this
> bulletin, you can write to us directly by going to:
> http://www.pbs.org/frontline/contact/
>
> ----------------------------
> FRONTLINE
> 125 western avenue, boston, ma. 02134
> http://www.pbs.org/frontline/
>
>
> ___________________________________
>
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>
Jim Davis Ozark Bioregion, USA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/left_n_Springfield/
My latest books:
"The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims: A Short Introduciton" http://www.lulu.com/content/114194
"Pure Land Now!" http://www.lulu.com/content/116320
"Vision and Praxis" http://www.lulu.com/content/132902