Study Those Who Live in Meth Houses

    We should be testing those who are ticketed or arrested for meth use or having meth paraphernalia in their possession.  

  More studies have been done on the effects of marijuana and alcohol than for the effects of methamphetamine. This is no surprise: Meth is illegal. How do you compile a study group when it would be illegal to give them the drug?

   But, if you test those who are ticketed, you can at least study them. What are the effects meth is having on them? And, don't just stop with the users; ask those who were living in the same home as the meth users if they would be willing to submit to drug tests. How much meth is in their systems and how does it compare to how much is found in the direct users? And, what symptoms are the second-hand users experiencing? 

  In short, is second-hand meth ingestion significantly injuring people? We are shutting down homes where meth is found, leaving the homeowners and others temporarily without a place to live. And, it is being done in the name of safety. It is done because living in the home where meth has been smoked is not considered safe. Is this justified? But, do we even know that the meth is seriously harming them? 

   Landowners depend on renters for their livelihood. If you suspend their ability to make a living, you surely should be required to show it is warranted. And, since it can cost $10,000 for the decontamination, you better justify that it is warranted.

   No, you cannot call in a study group and give them meth to determine the damage it does to a person. But, you can test those who are caught with it, and you can ask those who live in it if they will test.

   In closing, I must say it is interesting that when a home is shut down for meth contamination, law enforcement does not suggest the house occupants visit their doctors to determine if they are suffering medical injuries from the second-hand ingestion. If you really believe their health is in jeopardy, you send them to a doctor. When a person is injured in a car accident, you transport them to the hospital. When a person is bit by a black widow, you send them to the hospital. How much different is this? If really believe second-hand meth ingestion is harming them, of course you would suggest they go to a doctor.