In Our View: Meth mounts up (Texas)

Addicts seeking treatment quadruple



There is nothing shocking in the federal statistics on methamphetamine abuse released Thursday—at least not to anyone around here. More people are seeking treatment for meth addiction now than ever.

Don’t look for a downturn anytime soon.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that the number of people entering treatment for meth addiction quadrupled between 1993 and 2003.

It makes sense to us.

Every time we turn around, the police somewhere around here are busting up a meth lab, sometimes in homes, sometimes in the trunks of cars, sometimes in hotel rooms. Meth cooks usually care little for the risks to which they subject themselves and others, frequently even their young children.

Meth is cheap and easy to make, and its users provide a big enough demand for suppliers to risk getting caught.

It is highly addictive, and those who have made the effort will tell anybody it takes a long—usually lifelong—struggle to abandon the habit. It ravages the body—meth mouth, for example, is a dental byproduct of addiction—it ruins careers and livelihoods, destroys relationships and often leads to incarceration. It is no respecter of age or gender or socioeconomic status.

The rest of the story at:

http://www.texarkanagazette.com/articles/2006/03/04/local_news/opinion/opinions01.txt