Friday, May 02, 2008

Speedy Decline

A FEW years ago Pierce county, in Washington state, was in the grip of a methamphetamine epidemic. Toothless addicts roamed quiet rural roads, stealing everything that was not nailed down, ... “It was behind every bush,” she [the Sheriff] says.


The life cycle of the "meth epidemic" is an interesting story and I don't have my head wrapped around it yet, but the media's use of sensation and stigmatizing language has certainly colored attitudes and perceptions. The intro to this article makes it sounds like the film 28 Days Later.

I think that it's safe to conclude that there have been some successes in shortening the life cycle, but it's important to remember that drug use patterns are cyclical.

[via DailyDose.net]

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