Meth is bad (cue South Park Mr. Mackay). I mean real bad. If we could get rid of meth and heroin my caseload of thefts/false info to pawnbroker/motor vehicle theft cases would drop by about 2/3. Not to mention the controlled substance cases.
The "civilian" world thinks our system is really mean to drug offenders. Really, the opposite is true, at least in my jurisdiction (the Feds are another story altogether). We're super lenient on simple possession cases - we try to use our resources in prosecution/prison to go after the manufacturers and dealers. We bend over backwards to try to get people whose crime is possession of drugs or who commit property crimes in pursuit of drugs help. We give them repeated chances with diversion, probation, drug court, intensive probation, etc., to try to keep them out of prison. Diversion and probation officers provide treatment options and frequently pay for treatment for offenders.
The simple truth is we don't want to fill up our prisons with addicts. Especially those who commit "minor" property crimes in conjunction with their addiction. I have literally seen my judge sentence a defendant on a 7th felony to probation because his entire history was a case study in addiction.
But the simple truth is no matter what carrot and/or stick we try to use, the person has to be ready to get help and has to want it. Yes, they all say they want to get clean, when they're in jail and jonesing for drugs and in front of a judge facing prison. "This has been a huge wake up call. I want help. I want to get into treatment. I want to do it for my kids." I can't count the number of times I've heard this. And I can't count the number of times I've seen these same defendants come back on probation revocation only a couple months later (and that's after the probation officer has given them umpteen chances to get it together).
The real problem for me is the last sentence - the kids. Because I swear to you, meth appears to be the most effective fertility drug out there. And if you want to eff up your own life I feel bad for you but it's on you. When you bring children into the mix it just breaks my heart. And I'll be the one to see those kids in 18 years in court on their first felonies and talking about how their mom/dad was never there and was addicted to drugs and they got addicted too. My friend N and I were recently talking about this and came up with the solution.
Cue the solution (scientists get to work on this): Meth with birth control included. This would be legal meth. Regular meth - still illegal. Birth Control Meth - totally legal. So you can do meth if you want but only with the BC component. It'd be super cheap too because it would be legal. Destroy your own life but don't bring another into the world and destroy it too. I'm sure some super smart guys/gals could come up with a way to make the birth control aspect last at least a year after last use. That way if a person really does get his/her life cleaned up they can have children once they've been off the drugs for awhile.
I know this is so much wishful thinking and it's not that simple. But I see kids being destroyed every day with this drug. Living in houses heated by the oven being on and using buckets as toilets. A 6 year old who is not potty trained. And recently, a meth addict who left her 4 year old, 18 month old, and 6 week old alone in the bathtub. You can guess what happened. The 4 year old and 18 month old tested positive for meth after removal from the home; the 6 week old's body also tested positive at the time of her autopsy.
Our solution may seem halfway lighthearted but behind it is the truth: these kids never have a chance because addiction makes the addict a wholly selfish person focused only on the need for drugs and unable to give a child what he/she needs. When I was pregnant with my children I felt guilty for not eating very healthily and having caffeine too often - as I've often said I'm not one of those perfect women who eats organic perfectly balanced meals and gives up all indulgence while pregnant. But when push comes to shove, my kids come first. I find it unfathomably sad that so many children are born with drugs in their systems and that they grow up in this environment. Especially when I know so many families struggle with fertility and would give anything for the privilege of being a parent.
I meant this to be a kind of funny post but it took a bit of a dark turn. I guess joking about meth addiction only takes you so far when you start thinking about the real innocents affected by it.
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