Meth and domestic violence equal a volatile mix in Lincoln County (Oregon)

http://www.newportnewstimes.com/articles/2006/02/10/news/news13.txt
By Joel Gallob Of the News-Times

One of the less recognized problems involved with domestic violence, Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall told a meeting last week of the Governor's Council on Domestic Violence, comes from methamphetamines.

The methamphetamine epidemic, Hall said, has been "uniquely costly to Oregon, both in terms of wasted resources and shattered lives." But one of its less recognized effects, he said, is in the area of domestic violence. A 2005 survey by the National Association of Counties, he said, found that 62 percent of the law enforcement agencies that participated reported increases in domestic violence due to meth use.

In most cases, alcohol and drug use does not cause domestic violence, though they may trigger it, he said. But meth is different. Worse.


According to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, he reported, "the extreme agitation and paranoia" associated with meth use often leads to "situations where violence is more likely to occur." The DEA states that chronic use of meth can cause delusions and auditory hallucinations that can themselves precipitate violent behavior, he said. Further, methamphetamine "shuts off the part of the brain that tells you to stop attacking someone when they're down. All mammals have this; you see it in action when a dog involved in a fight rolls over on its back in a gesture of surrender. The other dog immediately ceases the attack. But meth short-circuits this response. This can elevate an already violent situation into a tragedy of much greater magnitude," he explained.

In response to facts like these, Hall reported, the battered women and children's shelter My Sisters' Place has chosen meth and domestic violence as a focus this year, and is seeking ways to offer cross-training and services that address both issues. On the state level, the Department of Human Services is sponsoring a one-day forum on the subject in March, he said, which will set the stage for a series of regional forums later this year.

Hall also looked at the state's capacity to handle the meth problem with drug treatment facilities. "Over the past four years, this state has seen a major erosion of treatment capacity" for people with drug and alcohol problems, he said. "We now rank 46th overall in access to treatment, and 49th for young adults."

During the meeting of the governor's council at the Surftides in Lincoln City, several women testified about their experience as survivors of domestic violence. Two of them expressly talked about meth use by an ex-spouse as a problem that worsened their lives.

Both reported that, when they had filed for a restraining order against a violence-prone husband, they were told they could not note the husband's meth use on the legal papers. One had to try three times to get the restraining order, in part because she wrote that her ex was a meth user. "That should be in the restraining order," she said.

Joel Gallob is a reporter for the News-Times. He can be reached at 265-8571 ext. 223 or joel.gallob@lee.net.