Study Busts Meth 'Myths,' Says Abuse Is Not an Epidemic or Even Widespread

AP via Foxnews ^ | June 14, 2006

[paudio]

Methamphetamine use is rare in most of the United States, not the raging epidemic described by politicians and the news media, says a study by an advocacy group.

Meth is a dangerous drug but among the least commonly used, The Sentencing Project policy analyst Ryan King wrote in a report issued Wednesday. Rates of use have been stable since 1999, and among teenagers meth use has dropped, King said.

"The portrayal of methamphetamine in the United States as an epidemic spreading across the country has been grossly overstated," King said. The Sentencing Project is a not-for-profit group that supports alternatives to prison terms for convicted drug users and other criminals.

[discostu]

But it's those groundless stories of an epidemic that the government has used to push these laws. Even if the laws weren't inherently bad they exist based on the false pretense that having at most 3% of the population using a particular drug (admittedly a nasty drug) is cause for massive concern and effort.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

You just don't get it, do you? It's not 1.5% for each town or 3% for each town. For some towns and counties it's close to 0%. For others it reaches into the double digits. Yes, 10%, 12%, 15% of a community meth addicts.

You say you know what meth does, but I don't think you really understand it. It's not like beer or pot or even cocaine or heroin. It's like crack, or pcp. It is bad. You can't hold a job, so you resort to crime.

Meth-heads aren't real bright to begin with and become less bright and more violent the longer they are on the drug, so you have spikes in crime in these areas that overwhelm law enforcement.

But ef'em all! Right? 12% of your population as violent criminals isn't that bad! Right?

Take a ride out to these areas before you call us liars about how bad it is.

[Protagoras]

Substances don't ruin lives. They people who take them ruin their own lives.

Blaming the substance avoids dealing with the problem.

People who use this poison will use a different poison if they don't use this one.

[NavyCanDo]

I just had to google "meth mouth" - you weren't kidding.

My Father In-law is a Dentist. "Meth Mouth" is real and quite the common thing to see in his practice, and even more prevalent in the Dentist that accept DSHS patience.

I don't know in what part of the country they did this study, but they sure didn't bring their academic lazy buts to Pierce or King Counties in Washington.

[discostu]

Yes in some regions it's worse than others, but they're passing federal laws. And I doubt seriously there's anyplace where it's 15%, just not happening.

Actually it's just like every other addiction, which includes booze and cocaine and heroin. Addicts are addicts are addicts, they can't hold jobs, they resort to crimes, and they die young. I know a guy who died at the age of 36 just a couple of months ago because of his alcoholism.

Junkies aren't real bright to begin with, well they might have been bright to begin with but once they give their lives over to the high they stop. You have spikes in crime in any area that gets a lot of addicts, no matter what they're addicted to.

It's not a matter of efing anybody, it's a matter of understanding there's no place, except maybe one particular block in an already bad neighborhood, that's got 12% of the population that are violent criminals because of meth. That is simply a lie pushed by the politicians and the media, it is not happening. No one here has been able to offer any proof of any such problem.

Offer some proof of cities or counties with 12 and 15% meth addiction and I'll stop saying you're wrong.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Seymour Missouri

[dennisw]

moron

[OB1kNOb]

They obviously didn't study the region I live in. It's epidemic in our rural areas.

[Protagoras]

I see you haven't lost your ability to make an ass of yourself.

[from occupied ga]

The portrayal of methamphetamine in the United States as an epidemic spreading across the country has been grossly overstated," King said.

In other words they have an agenda.

Yes they have and agenda. The mistake most people make is in assuming that the government doesn't have an agenda. The government agenda is almost always get more money from the citizens and get more power over the citizens. A grossly exaggerated "meth epidemic" serves both of these goals.

[mysterio]

Protagoras is correct. Why would you call him a moron?

Meth was born of prohibitionist policies. And the next drug epidemic will be, too.

[from occupied ga]

Where I live, Colorado Springs, Colorado, a local Republican politician (who is to remain nameless) gave me the statistic that there is one meth lab every two blocks on average.

One every two blocks sound like total BS to me.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

One every two blocks sound like total BS to me.

Not through the whole city, but in parts of Springfield MO, that is the case. Canvas the area between Commercial and Central, and National to Grant and I think you would find close to that level of meth labs in my town.

[from occupied ga]

Every time I hear of the meth frenzy I think back to all of the BS that the government put out about pot 40 years ago. They are always trying to stir up an imaginary "crisis" so that they can get more of your tax money and more power over you. Not that meth or pot are particularly desirable, it's just that their evils seem to be greatly exaggerated.

[Protagoras]

Protagoras is correct. Why would you call him a moron?

I know I can always count on my friends to defend me. Particularly the ones I have had such a warm personal relationship with lately.

:^}

[wordsofearnest]

We've got a new jail full of meth heads in Daviess county Indiana. These people have no shame.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

I could agree with pot, I mean the goofy hacky-sack kids are just morons, but no more of a threat than those who attend keggers on a regular basis.

But meth is another animal. It is real bad. I've met and seen more meth-heads than I could count and each and every one of them is very unstable mentally and most have a tendancy towards violence.

[from occupied ga]

But meth is another animal. It is real bad. I've met and seen more meth-heads than I could count and each and every one of them is very unstable mentally and most have a tendancy towards violence

Back when I was in graduate school (many decades ago) I went to a presentation on meth addiction by some guy from one of the NY medical schools - I don't remember which one. The point being not that meth is harmless - it obviously isn't - but that the problem has been around for at least 40 years, and now all of a sudden the government seems to "need" more and more of our money to combat it.

[mysterio]

I agree with you on most things, actually. We only really get into it over the evil oil companies and their works of evil.

[Protagoras]

We only really get into it over the evil oil companies and their works of evil.

LOL,, but that for a different thread. One about evil. LOL