Living in the home of a meth-addicted parent who is operating a meth lab not only poses physical dangers, but also severe emotional trauma for children if the lab is raided. To lessen the trauma, many states have trained law enforcement how to provide initial care for children found in meth labs, and greater attention is being paid to children's needs during decontamination procedures.
Polk County, Iowa, for example, uses a state-of-the-art decontamination trailer to assist victims possibly exposed to meth. The 20-foot-long trailer contains enclosed shower stalls, a portable water heating unit, and other resources to reduce trauma during the clean up process, particularly for children.“It has pictures and toys and is what you would think kids would like in terms of a bath and a warm, friendly place, as opposed to a sterile, adult environment,” explains Mary Nelson, Administrator for the Iowa Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral, Developmental, and Protective Services.
Iowa is among the many states that have established uniform protocols that law enforcement, child welfare, and other agencies closely follow when responding to meth lab situations. In most cases, law enforcement is the first responder when the presence of meth is suspected, and children found in the labs are taken immediately to hospitals for observation. Responders are trained on the appropriate care to provide children in these situations. Having law enforcement first on the scene also ensures safety for social workers who may encounter physical danger due to meth users’ heightened sense of paranoia.
Unknowing workers can also risk chemical contamination if they enter a home where meth is present. Meth labs are becoming less of a problem, thanks to state laws that place cold medicines containing pseudophedrine—used in meth manufacturing—behind pharmacy counters. Customers are limited to the quantities they can buy and must sign for them and show proper identification. Oregon has gone so far as to make pseudophedrine a prescription drug as of July 2006. But meth addicts remain within communities because more than 80% of the nation’s meth supply is imported from outside U.S. borders. Luckily, treatment is proving successful for meth addicts, though it can take much longer than treatment for other drugs, due to cognitive damage and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, which can accompany meth addiction. And more addicts are seeking treatment—between1992 and 2002, admission rates for meth treatment nationwide increased 420%, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Cognitively, meth decreases the ability to recognize and recall words and pictures, make inferences, manipulate information, and ignore irrelevant information. People in early recovery may find it difficult to pay attention, comprehend spoken and written information, and remember information, both Wurscher and Young point out. Wurscher advises that child welfare should think about working differently with families affected by meth and explore strategies to communicate information to this population that's having problems with manipulating and retaining information. Research shows that meth abusers who stay drug free at least nine months display significant recovery. According to NCSACW, after four years of abstinence, no deficits have been found in their memory, learning, attention, executive function, or motor function.
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