Story Date: Monday, December 11, 2006 In-depth on Meth: What about the kids? The effects of METHamphetamine addictions touch more people than just the users themselves By Brooke Vermillion-Chambers Reporter Through public awareness campaigns, educators and safety organizations have ensured through the years people know the hazardous effects illegal drugs have on the user. But what about the children who play and sleep in their homes, never suspecting they are being exposed to toxins produced during the manufacture or use of METHamphetamine? Studies from around the country show METH can have immediate and long-term effects on children who live in an environment where METH has been produced or smoked. And while agencies cannot always prevent parents from exposing their children to this dangerous chemical mixture, agencies can be ready to deal with the issues when they arise. One of the ways Pope County prepares for drug exposure to children is by participating in drills where trained personnel must intervene in simulated situations. The last drill, conducted on Nov. 16, involved the Pope County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and Saint Mary’s Regional Hospital Emergency Room. Gary McElligott, emergency operations manager for Code Camey and Associates in Dardanelle, coordinated the drill. Twelve responders with the focus of handling children exposed to METHamphetamine production were required to assess and handle the situation using current protocols. The drill, which McElligott deemed a success, resulted in the handling of two simulated exposed children in a manner that protected the responders, safely treated and transported the children to the ER, and preserved any evidence for prosecution. METH effects on children McElligott, who also participates in the River Valley METH Project and the 15th Judicial District Drug Coalition, said, “Our focus lately [in the drills] has been on METH production in clandestine labs and the effects on the children exposed. But the reality is even the parents’ use of METH and other drugs can create a lot of problems for children.” He said studies have shown 80 percent of the smoked form of METHamphetamine is exhaled and rests on every surface of the house. As the children live in this environment, everything they touch — the couch, the coffee table, their toys — causes potential exposure. And the noticeable effects on the exposed child vary in each situation, he said, but range from respiratory distress and severe asthma to birth defects and brain dysfunction — not to mention signs of neglect. METH and parenting Christy Jackson, investigator with Pope County DCFS Department of Health and Human Services, sees these effects on a daily basis. Jackson, who primarily investigates situations dealing with child abuse and neglect, said the effects of METH on child abuse is “a constant problem.” An average of 300 cases of child abuse and neglect are opened in Pope County each year, and according to Jackson, the majority of those cases are METH-related. “When I first started at DHS 11 years ago, marijuana was the big thing, huffing paint, and every now and then we would see parents using cocaine,” Jackson said. “But now, it’s all about METH.” She explained that although making METH or smoking METH around children is harmful and DHS would intervene if notified of the situation, she said that’s not what usually gets DHS involved. “Most of the time when we get a call about physical abuse, inadequate supervision or home environment issues, we usually find out later that METH was involved,” Jackson said, explaining METH addicts can become violent when “coming down” off of the drug. She said users will also sleep uncontrollably, leaving their children unattended. “Then when that small child runs out in the street, that’s when we get the call,” she said, adding a child in a similar situation would likely be taken into foster care until a judge could make a decision on his or her future. “Any parent who uses METH becomes such a selfish parent,” Jackson said, “because all they’re worried about is getting their next high. ... But just because they use doesn’t mean they don’t love their child. It just means that they aren’t making good choices.” On the occasions children are found in a home where METH has been manufactured, Jackson said the protocols displayed in the county drills are put into effect. The child is taken to the hospital for examination and placed into DHS custody. In those situations, personnel are equipped and trained to use an “on-call response bag,” developed in part by Marti Wilkerson, associate professor of rehabilitation science at Arkansas Tech University and coordinator of Academic Partnership in Public Child Welfare. The bag helps responders to keep the child safe, while preserving any evidence to later be used in court. METH arrests and prosecution While making or selling METHamphetamine — a Class Y felony — holds a range of punishment of 10-40 years or life in prison, 5th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Gibbons said cases in which children were harmed during the process could lead to even harsher punishment for the offender. “There are enhancements in place that once a person is found guilty of manufacturing or possessing paraphernalia with the intent to manufacture METH, we can enhance their punishment an additional 10 years if it is done in the presence of a minor,” Gibbons said, adding the legislation that put pseudo ephedrine behind the counter has cut down on manufacturing cases in the area. METH awareness in the future An issue currently being discussed in the drug awareness realm, McElligott said, is creating a tracking mechanism for children who have been exposed to METH. He also explained an ongoing awareness campaign has been designed to educate the community on how to recognize the hazards and the symptoms involved with those hazards. And by also trying to reach young students to make them aware of the hazards, campaign coordinators hope the children will avoid a future of drug abuse. “These children are our future,” McElligott said. “They are our workforce and our leaders. And the fact is that the increase in Resource and Special Ed departments in the public school system has evolved form normal birth defects to drug- and alcohol-exposed issues. And the percentage of that population appears to have increased from these exposures. We’ve got to do soMETHing.”