#19 Methamphetamine 2004-2005

Meredith Bellson 12 posts Aug 17, 2007 11:39 AM

#19. Methamphetamine 2004-2005 NOTE: POST A MESSAGE TO MAKE SUGGESTIONS! WHEREAS, the use of methamphetamine has been estimated to have grown 68 percent over the past year, making methamphetamine soon the illegal stimulant of choice in Tennessee; and WHEREAS, Federal Drug Enforcement Administration records for 2003 show there were 1,253 meth labs cleaned up in Tennessee, topping all states for the third straight year, and WHEREAS, Tennessee accounts for 75 percent of meth lab seizures in the Southeast; and WHEREAS, Department of Children's Services records in August 2003 showed children were being removed from the custody of meth-making parents at a rate of more than one each day in Tennessee; and WHEREAS, experts say that many women who are drug users switch to meth because of the myth that meth causes less harm, but infants born to meth-using mothers appear to be at a higher risk for low birth weight as well as developmental and behavioral problems; and WHEREAS, the dangers to children once home from the hospital may be even greater because meth tends to be manufactured where they live in a process that is particularly toxic, using highly flammable, poisonous chemicals, where fires and explosions are not uncommon, with two of three labs found by the firefighters; and WHEREAS, according to a report issued by the Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime, nationally 26 children were injured and two were killed in meth lab incidents in 2002; and WHEREAS, the effects of methamphetamine are so debilitating that they cause parents to disregard the health and safety of their children and that often exposes children to severe neglect; and WHEREAS, the site of a meth lab is considered a toxic waste site, must be decontaminated by a HazMat team and the carpeting, furniture, appliances and personal items must be disposed of in special hazardous waste landfills; and WHEREAS, Tennessee has no standard for the period of time needed before a home or building can be re- occupied or used again after the toxic site where meth was made has been decontaminated; and WHEREAS, only 5 percent of meth addicts are successfully rehabilitated, and the life expectancy of a habitual meth user is only five years with the effects on the brain similar to Alzheimer’s disease; and WHEREAS, in the spring of 2004 Governor Phil Bredesen established a Task Force on Methamphetamine Abuse, charged with developing a comprehensive strategy addressing the manufacture, trafficking, and abuse of meth in Tennessee; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that TCSW encourage the State of Tennessee and all its branches of government, agencies and departments to work together to limit the use and abuse, production and distribution of methamphetamine in our state and the toxic effects on the environment by passing responsible laws which limit the availability of the otherwise legal drugs, ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and the chemical products used to make meth; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW support efforts to establish standards to identify decontaminated meth lab locations to assure their safe use in the future; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW support efforts to develop appropriate community resources for the treatment and rehabilitation of meth abusers and their families, and their subsequent return to productive lives; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW support stronger education efforts to help Tennessee children and adults know the dangers of meth and the ravages it has on individuals, families, and communities in a concerted effort to reduce the making and use of meth in the state; and. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that TCSW fully examine the recommendations of the Governor's Task Force on meth that were released in late August, 2004, and work appropriately for the implementation of any items additional to those already contained in this resolution.

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