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Fall 2008
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The Meth Threat: Children at Risk |
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Nancy
E. Bonthius, Assistant Professor |
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For the past five years, the Iowa Department of Human Services has reported an average of 1,345 cases per year of child abuse involving the presence of illegal drugs in the body of a minor child. In 2007, there were 1,173 such cases. Often the drug in question is methamphetamine. In 2004, Iowa ranked second in the nation in the number of meth labs; local law enforcement was identifying an average of 26 labs a week. Although the 2005 passage of the Iowa Pseudoephedrine Control Law led to a great reduction in meth |
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production (and meth labs), this was quickly followed by an alarming increase in the amount of crystal meth being imported into the state from large labs predominately in Mexico. Crystal meth is also referred to as “super meth” because it is much more pure (>90%) and potent than the meth produced locally in small labs. Meth continues to be the drug of highest concern in Iowa. As a result, the Iowa Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) has recently mobilized Drug Endangered Children (DEC) teams in 15 communities to provide rapid response services to children affected by drugs. Common meth ingredients include ephedrine or pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®), drain cleaner, antifreeze, lantern fuel, lye, battery acid, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, and anhydrous ammonia. With chemical components like these, it should come as no surprise that methamphetamine can induce horrific physical effects. Meth works by flooding the user’s brain with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates pleasure. After taking meth, the user feels an intense, extremely pleasurable “rush” that lasts a few minutes, after which the user will remain in a less-intense, pleasurable “high” for 4-24 hours. During this high, users feel euphoric and full of energy. When the effects of meth finally wear off, the user is often depressed due to dopamine depletion. Over time, the user requires more and more drug to feel good. Repeated dosing of meth is called a “meth run” and can last up to seven days, at which point the user finally “crashes” (sleeps) for up to another seven days. Because of these long runs and crashes, children of meth users are frequently neglected for days or weeks at a time. This intense pleasure/tension cycle leads to loss of control over the drug and to addiction. Meth use not only modifies behavior in the short term, but after repeated use it changes the brain in fundamental and long-lasting ways by depleting dopamine stores and altering dopamine receptors. It is for this reason that, among illegal drugs, methamphetamine is in a league all its own. Users become deeply addicted to the drug because without it they are no longer able to experience pleasure, a condition referred to as anhedonia. Meth use can produce such physical signs as:
In addition to affecting the brain, meth can also cause the heart to race and blood vessels to constrict, which can cause serious organ damage, including heart attacks, strokes, and death. The ingredients in meth are highly corrosive and can erode soft tissues, cartilage, bone, and teeth. Ongoing use is associated with brain damage, immune system deficiencies, kidney, lung, and liver damage, violent/aggressive behavior, chronic depression, and psychosis. Perinatal
meth use The children of meth-using mothers are at risk even before they are born. Meth use constricts blood vessels in the placenta, which reduces the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. Meth also passes through the placenta, and can:
Meth use can also slow or alter fetal development. Infants exposed to methamphetamine in utero are six times more likely to be born with birth defects, including spina bifida, skeletal and intestinal abnormalities, and heart and brain abnormalities. Children
and meth Meth also increases the libido and decreases inhibition, frequently leading to promiscuous, unprotected sex. This places meth users at high-risk for acquiring HIV, hepatitis B, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Long-term users also frequently develop severe psychosis with paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, and delusions. Children living with meth users or in homes that house methamphetamine labs often face deplorable conditions -- toxic chemicals and fumes, fires, explosions, weapons, booby traps intended for law enforcement and welfare authorities, lice and worm-infested living conditions, inadequate heating, cooling and plumbing. These chaotic living conditions impede normal development and lead to academic and social problems. If you suspect that a caregiver’s meth use is placing a child is at risk, it is important to contact Department of Human Services (DHS) at 1-800-362-2178. If the child resides in another county, DHS can contact the office in the appropriate county or provide appropriate contact numbers. DHS will also contact the local law enforcement. |
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Sadly, it is often the children of meth
producers and users that fall victim to the sexual promiscuity
and violent, psychotic behavior induced by meth. In
locales of significant methamphetamine use, sexual and
physical abuse of children is rampant.|
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