Why
this is important:
Drug abuse in Iowa has been compounded in recent years
by the demand for, and supply of, highly addictive methamphetamine.
Users of this drug can be prone to violence and child neglect.
Recent state legislation to control the key ingredient
used to make meth appears to be having its intended effect
of curbing meth labs, and their accompanying hazards, in
Iowa. Very significant challenges remain, including reducing
the out-of-state supply of meth and the demand by Iowans
who use it, plus other forms of substance abuse that have
not subsided during the rising meth problem.
What we're doing about this:
ODCP is monitoring the effectiveness of Iowa's pseudoephedrine
control law, which together with other strong prevention
and enforcement efforts is contributing to a significant
drop in meth labs. Since enacting the nation's strongest
non-prescription pseudoephedrine control law in 2005, meth
lab incidents have declined 86%. In 2008,
Iowa averaged 17 labs/month. That's down from an average
of 125/month in 2004, when DEA records indicated Iowa recorded
the 3rd highest number of meth lab responses of any state
in the U.S.
Still, 17 meth labs per month - or nearly one every two
days--is too much. Iowa meth cooks now resort to pharmacy
hopping to buy enough pseudoephedrine in the aggregate to
make the drug. An electronic real-time pseudoephedrine sales
verification system would prevent these illegal transactions
and further reduce meth labs in Iowa.
Also contributing to the reduction of meth labs in Iowa
is an anti-meth anhydrous ammonia inhibitor and fertilizer
tank valve locks, both of which are available for widespread
use. The inhibitor, calcium nitrate, was discovered by Iowa
State University to reduce the yield of meth converted from
pseudoephedrine from approximately 42% to less than 2%.
The additive became available for voluntary use nationwide
by agriculture retailers in late 2006. While keeping an
eye on this progress, ODCP is now working with law enforcement
agencies to devote available resources -- previously tied
up with meth lab responses -- to interrupting the larger
flow of meth and other drugs into Iowa.
|
Why
this is important:
Too often, and many times hidden from public view, vulnerable children are unwitting
victims of illegal drug distribution, use or manufacturing. One in three children
live in an environment where parents are struggling with substance abuse (NIH
2000). Children who are abused in drug environments may be subjected to physical
and verbal abuse, and neglect.
Over the last seven years, more than 8,700 cases of abuse
involving drug-affected children (children testing positive
for any illegal drug in their system) have been reported
to the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS). The number
of such cases in 2007 was 1,173, a 31.5% reduction from
1,713 in 2004.
Additionally, more than 1,450 children over the last seven
years (2001-2007) were classified by DHS as victims of abuse
due to their proximity to hazardous methamphetamine labs
and/or meth precursor chemicals. The number of these cases
in 2007 dropped to 56, an 81% reduction compared to 299
cases two years earlier.
Despite the reduction of meth lab incidents, the demand
for meth has not decreased. The largest source of meth is
supplied by drug trafficking organizations to feed the appetites
of Iowa meth users. A 2007 field study found that all Child
in Need of Assistance cases in a 16-county area of Southwest
Iowa, 51% were found to have a nexus; parents manufacturing,
using or selling methamphetamine. In addition to meth, marijuana
and cocaine are also being trafficked in Iowa, creating
additional risks for children.
What we're doing about this:
Progress is being made in reducing the exposure of children
to the toxic meth production process and more is being done.
ODCP is working with the Attorney General's office and many
other local and state organizations to expand Iowa's Drug
Endangered Children (DEC) program. Sixteen local multi-disciplinary
DEC teams have been formed in Polk, Appanoose, Dubuque,
Linn, Wapello, Woodbury, Pottawattamie, Clay, Story, Cherokee,
Clinton, Des Moines, Marshall, Mills, Boone and Buena Vista
Counties. These DEC Teams are forming to leverage and coordinate
resources of the public health, private health care, human
service and criminal justice systems, to protect children
and hold illicit drug abusers accountable. When appropriate,
the program also strives to assist families in obtaining
substance abuse treatment.
The DEC teams are identifying children as victims, removing
them from the harmful environment, collecting evidence of
child victimization, screening the children for drugs and
other toxins, establishing DEC team protocols and multi-agency
coordination. The adults are being held accountable through
treatment and testing. The end result is to reunite the
family, if possible.
|
