Pubdate: Sun, 30 Jan 2005
Source: Globe-Gazette (IA)
Copyright: 2005 Globe-Gazette
Contact: http://www.globegazette.com/sitepages/modules/editorltr.shtml
Website: http://www.globegazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1568
Author: Kristin Buehner, The Globe Gazette
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

DESCENT INTO DARKNESS: METH AND KIDS

Finding a methamphetamine lab in a car parked on an isolated road in Cerro 
Gordo County was not unusual.

What was unusual was the presence of a 5-year-old girl in the Nissan 
Sentra, just inches away from the lab, Sheriff Kevin Pals said.

The child, who was treated for exposure to dangerous chemicals in August 
2004, is a prime example of the impact methamphetamine use can have on 
children.

"We actually have quite a few cases where children are at risk," said Larry 
Kollman, treatment social worker with the Iowa Department of Human Services 
(DHS) in Mason City. "It's very, very frequent that we see it."

Iowa has enacted a law making it a crime to manufacture methamphetamine -- 
a very strong central nervous system stimulant -- in the presence of 
children, Kollman said.

Exposure to methamphetamine or related chemicals can impair cognitive, 
speech and motor skill development, he said. Aggressive behavior,

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and attachment disorders are common.

"The DHS is so concerned about meth use, we've hired meth specialists to 
keep us informed about how we can better help children and families," 
Kollman said. "It's not a new thing. We're just seeing more of it today."

Placing children in foster care is one option unless there are family 
members who can provide adequate care for the child.

In other cases, the child remains in the home under careful monitoring by 
the DHS, Kollman said.

Becky Heilskov, child abuse investigator for the Cerro Gordo County DHS, 
said the department's five investigators become involved whenever police 
conduct a drug raid and find children under age 18 have been exposed.

Investigators cover Cerro Gordo, Hancock, Winnebago and Worth counties.

"They call us and we go out and assess the safety of the children," she 
said. "Our role is to determine if they're safe in the home."

If parents are uncooperative, the children may be removed, Heilskov said.

"We look at the age of the child and the risk to the child," she said.

IF THERE is suspicion that parents have been using methamphetamine, a hair 
stat test is conducted on their children with the assistance of the Cerro 
Gordo County Department of Public Health to determine if they have been 
exposed to the drug or have ingested it, Heilskov said.

"Parents that are using don't make good choices," she said. "They don't see 
the link between their behavior and their children. They're paranoid, 
consumed with obtaining drugs."

Younger children are at greatest risk because they cannot meet their own needs.

Children of parents who use drugs are three to four times more likely to be 
neglected or physically or sexually abused, Heilskov said.

"Violence and danger are high in homes where drug dealings are occurring in 
the presence of children," Heilskov said. "We've had parents who've brought 
their kids along with them in the car when they've made drug deals."

Juvenile Court Judge Gerald Magee tries a case at least once a week that 
involves children whose parents use meth and neglect them. He has held as 
many as four hearings weekly concerning children impacted by meth use.

"It's destroying families," he said.

First, there's the financial impact caused by the cost of the drug, and the 
possible loss of employment, which typically happens among long-time meth 
users, Magee said.

"People can be very paranoid," Magee said. "They become very resistant to 
everybody and anybody."

The basic necessities children require also suffer, Magee said. They 
typically lack adequate health care, nutrition, housing and cleanliness in 
addition to being exposed to dangerous elements in the household.

Unfortunately, children usually want to live with their parents, no matter 
how bad anyone from the outside may perceive it to be, Magee said.

Assistant Cerro Gordo County Attorney Greg Rosenbladt, who represents the 
state in Cerro Gordo County juvenile cases, said the county is "a hotbed 
for drugs."

Mason City is a conduit for drugs out of Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis and 
Milwaukee, he said.

"The average citizen is not aware of what goes on, and it's significant."
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager