Meth in Portland/Oregon (Donald: neighborhoods, school, live)

[ccjarider]

The company I work for says meth use was much worse several years ago.
Company used "random" drug inspections weekly to weed out the losers.

Apparently, at least for this company, it is much, much better today.

[Lizita]

Just FYI, the PBS documentary about meth in Oregon was made in 2006. Things have changed a bit since then.

[Squidlo]

Meth is coming up from Mexico now. Oregon has put regional/small labs pretty much out of business. Good Job there. The addicts are still around.


<incoming rant>

I still get angry when I think about how and when Meth got its grip in the Portland area. The civil forfeiture laws at the time had the law enforcement teams focused on more lucrative targets while meth and heroin ran nearly unchecked. Petty crime skyrocketed in the 80's and 90's. I saw first hand people headed to the gutter. Hopefully with education Meth will trend down in Oregon.

<end rant>

[hamellr]

We should just legalize it too. Setup clinics where you can get your hit. Make sure the product is 100% clean. Either subsidize it or make the cost so cheap that no one would have a reason to steal money.

I know that's never going to happen, but the costs of doing that has to be less then the costs of Police Enforcement, Jail, health clinics, and the hidden costs of theft all rolled together.

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Well, one impact is that Oregon is the only state that requires a doctor's written perscription for Sudafed aka ephedeine because it is an ingredient widely used in the cooking of meth.

Michigan allows OTC sales of Sudafed, but it is locked up behind pharmacy counters, and your driver's license is entered into a state database each time you purchase Sudafed so they can track the amounts, which are very limited per person. Meth is not a huge problem in Michigan, though there are certainly other problems here of great magnitude.

[xz2y]

Originally Posted by Squidlo

Meth is coming up from Mexico now. Oregon has put regional/small labs pretty much out of business. Good Job there. The addicts are still around.


<incoming rant>

I still get angry when I think about how and when Meth got its grip in the Portland area. The civil forfeiture laws at the time had the law enforcement teams focused on more lucrative targets while meth and heroin ran nearly unchecked. Petty crime skyrocketed in the 80's and 90's. I saw first hand people headed to the gutter. Hopefully with education Meth will trend down in Oregon.

<end rant>

On the PBS special I watched on the meth epidemic with Portland and Oregon featured as ground zero, they did mention that use has fallen recently due to laws that prohibit sales of OTC ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, which are now only available with prescriptions. If anyone is interested in watching this Frontline special, which was excellent, though depressing, here is the link to watch it online:

The Meth Epidemic - Video | FRONTLINE | PBS

[Squidlo]

The epidemic was caused by a lack of response of the community and law enforcement. Multnomah county did not invent meth they simply did not recognize the cost until late in the game. I saw it first hand. Great shots on the news of smiling County Deputies with the latest seizure of a small time marijuana grow and blathering on about all the good the seized proceeds would do for the "community". Oregon Revised its civil forfeiture laws later on but the damage was done. Last time I looked pot heads were not leading the nation in crime. I seriously doubt most of them more ambitious than to go raid the fridge, let alone your garage.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by xz2y

Michigan allows OTC sales of Sudafed, but it is locked up behind pharmacy counters, and your driver's license is entered into a state database each time you purchase Sudafed so they can track the amounts, which are very limited per person. Meth is not a huge problem in Michigan, though there are certainly other problems here of great magnitude.

I think many states if not most have done it this way. It is not ideal but I think it is still preferable to having to go to a doctor to get a perscriptionl. And if you don't have medical insurance, it is more expensive than OTC Sudafed.

[Squidlo]

Originally Posted by Minervah

I think many states if not most have done it this way. It is not ideal but I think it is still preferable to having to go to a doctor to get a perscriptionl. And if you don't have medical insurance, it is more expensive than OTC Sudafed.

We are keeping the ingredients out of the hands of the small Meth "cooks". Hooray! I have to show my DL when I have a runny nose now. A minor annoyance.

We have not curbed demand nor supply as much as needed for it to subside. All we have done so far is consolidate the manufacture of Meth somewhere else. It is cheap to produce and transport. Easily hidden and big money for drug runners who have no trouble finding a market for the garbage. It's going to take time, effort and education to get the word "meth" out of our vocabulary.

It is insidious, a performance enhancing drug of sorts. Imagine a guy working double shifts or 2 jobs looking for something to "help" the situation. Too easy to get a customer....

Avoiding "tweakers" is relatively easy. Don't live where they do. Living in the "Burbs" has some advantages.....

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Squidlo

We are keeping the ingredients out of the hands of the small Meth "cooks". Hooray! I have to show my DL when I have a runny nose now. A minor annoyance.

We have not curbed demand nor supply as much as needed for it to subside. All we have done so far is consolidate the manufacture of Meth somewhere else. It is cheap to produce and transport. Easily hidden and big money for drug runners who have no trouble finding a market for the garbage. It's going to take time, effort and education to get the word "meth" out of our vocabulary.

It is insidious, a performance enhancing drug of sorts. Imagine a guy working double shifts or 2 jobs looking for something to "help" the situation. Too easy to get a customer....

Avoiding "tweakers" is relatively easy. Don't live where they do. Living in the "Burbs" has some advantages.....

I would not mind having to do that. I have severe asthma and sudafed and along with some other meds I have to take, helps me to breathe better.

But having to have a doctor's prescription can be a nuisance. She can only prescribe it for a certain length of time and then I have to have her office call in to renew it. It is just easier to be able to buy it OTC or even behind the counter with ID.

The idea is that it keeps it out of the hands of the bad guys but from what I have read, it only succeeded in them going to find other sources. They always will.