Meth in Portland/Oregon (Eugene, Salem: home, pharmacy, allergy)

[mateo384]

Very big issue here. I was addicted to it for over a year when I first moved here. That was a long time ago and thankfully I'm off it, but there are meth houses all over town, even in good neighborhoods. I live on 39th and there is, what seems to be a meth complex. I know there is one lady who lives there that was in that "Faces of meth" publication. If you go out towards Greshem and past 82nd, I'm sure it's all over. I certainly wouldn't live way out there.

[mateo384]

And btw, the recent Drugs Inc episode on meth said its the #1 drug problem in the US.

[kyled]

I don't doubt there's a meth problem but I do doubt it's as big as the documentary says it is. Documentaries often overstate things to bring attention to it. Like that Super Size Me documentary...what a dope.

[Nell Plotts]

I just wish there were as active a public health campaign against meth as there was against smoking, discouraging people from even trying it.

[kyled]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

I just wish there were as active a public health campaign against meth as there was against smoking, discouraging people from even trying it.

There was when I was in school in the 90s. Not for meth specifically but for all drugs. There were like three different programs to discourage us from taking drugs. One of them is called D.A.R.E. I forget what the others are. I remember we'd have assemblies and classes all about it. There was some sort of a talking sheriff dog against drugs. Police would come over like once every couple months and tell us how bad drugs were. We had some sort of puppet show that toured around telling us how bad drugs are. I seem to remember a giant frog...but that might have been for swimming in canals. Then I remember all of those commercials "This is your brain on drugs". Or the "it's 10 o clock, do you know where your children are?" That might not have been for drugs though.

[Nell Plotts]

Because most first time drug use starts when kids are in their teens I think the most effective approach is to show what meth does to their appearance. Make even trying it unattractive. The young think they are bullet proof, I don't think showing them what it does to their brain is most effective.. they don't see the result. Rotten teeth, bad breath, tweaking and other observable results grab attention first. Then talk about brain development.

[Steve Pickering]

Originally Posted by kyled

I don't doubt there's a meth problem but I do doubt it's as big as the documentary says it is. Documentaries often overstate things to bring attention to it. Like that Super Size Me documentary...what a dope.

I almost agree if I didn't know better. The reality is it is much worse.

And speaking of dope, why not just try and legalize another brain killer like MJ.

[kyled]

Originally Posted by Steve Pickering

I almost agree if I didn't know better. The reality is it is much worse.

And speaking of dope, why not just try and legalize another brain killer like MJ.

Well...I was speaking of the guy who did the super size me documentary (the one about eating nothing but McDonald's for like a month) being a dope, not the drug. A lot of documentaries are really just trying to get noticed...especially ones done by independent film makers.

[Steve Pickering]

Why would you call him a dope? His report was accurate although it was downplayed. Meth is starting to fall out of favor and is replaced by Heroin which is more available.

[Nell Plotts]

All in all heroin is probably less destructive, but that is not to say that either are good.