NPR posted a story about the impact of meth use has on jails and law enforcement operations. The survey spotlighted by the article tells the tale of the damage meth leaves in its path of destruction. The survey was conducted by the National Association of Counties (NACO).
Over 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have joined the Meth Caucus.
Here is a link to the caucus homepage. The link provides a list of the members of the caucus. Take a moment and check out who has joined this group.
Through the discussion of the problems related with meth, some of the funding initially cut from law enforcement efforts to combat this drug and others has been restored.
This article also links a number of related sites you may want to visit.
ABC News also posted a article about the problems of meth. They also post a number of links that I think you will find interesting.
The gist of the survey is as follows:
Meth is a major cause of child abuse and neglect:
Forty percent of all the child welfare officials in the survey report increased out of home placements because of meth in the last year.
During the past five years, 71% of the responding counties in California reported an increase in out of home placements because of meth and 70% of Colorado counties reported an increase.
More than 69% of counties in Minnesota reported a growth in out of home placements because of meth during the last year, as did 54% of the responding counties in North Dakota.
Meth hurts children and families over the long-term. County officials were asked if the particular nature of the meth user parent has increased the difficulty of family reunification and 59% said yes.
Another source of information is Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. The organization works with law enforcement officials throughout the United States to help get the message out that investing time and resources to support our kids is the right thing to do.
Members of the Northfield Police Department are available to present information about meth and other drugs to groups so interested. If you would like to learn more about what you can do to help stop drug use or would like to learn more about the types of drugs and the culture in which they exist, please contact Sergeant Roger Schroeder at the Northfield Police Department at 507-663-9322.