April 2006
What risks and dangers does the methamphetamine phenomenon present for children, and what are the implications for child welfare?
Methamphetamines (meth), mainly popular along the west coast and in rural communities in the Midwest, can wreak havoc on the lives of users and quickly lead to dependence and addiction. Meth (also known by the street names crystal-meth, cinnamon, ice, trash, working man’s cocaine, and wash) is a highly addictive combination of common household cleaners and over-the-counter cold medicines that are “cooked” in underground labs by untrained drug dealers and addicts. Not only do meth labs harm the people who ingest the drug; they also affect the environment and health of communities surrounding the labs by producing an enormous amount of toxic waste. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/methamphetamine/index.html
Child Welfare has a range of distinct but overlapping concerns as the meth crisis unfolds: infants born to meth-using mothers, children found in meth labs, children living in meth-induced neglecting environments, and children of imprisoned parents. Children in meth-related situations experience trauma on a continuum – from prenatal exposure, to neglect, to removal from caregiver, to the possibility of multiple placements.
In order to specifically address the phenomena of children living in meth lab environments, many states have expanded either their child endangerment or child abuse statutes to include manufacturing a controlled substance in the presence of a child, and some states have made exposing a child to an illicit chemical substance a separate criminal offense.
http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/drugexposedall.pdf
For additional information on methamphetamines and child welfare, visit:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/responding/meth.cfm