METH'S INNOCENT VICTIMS

- -- Following is the third in a series of articles about the problems
posed by methamphetamine in Siskiyou County.

The fire, caused by a chemical reaction, ignited as a man and woman
were cooking methamphetamine. Their small child was just a few feet away.

Consumed with the thought that they might be caught by authorities,
the parents quickly began removing the meth production items from their house.

They forgot all about the child.

A neighbor eventually entered the burning house and removed the
youngster, but the child was burned badly and died a few days later.

It's a tragic and true story similar to many that make headlines
every day across the country, says McGregor Scott, United States
Attorney for California's 38 county Eastern District, which includes
Siskiyou County.

"Children are the innocent victims of this crime," said Scott.
"Children are living in homes where meth labs are located. These labs
use chemicals that are very volatile."

During a public meeting in Yreka last month on the impact of
methamphetamine in Siskiyou County, Scott said he has seen such
tragedies first-hand.

"What really hit home for me was the number of children who were
burned alive in these fires," he said of the time he spent with the
Contra Costa District Attorney's office. "There is simply no regard
for the welfare of children. That's what meth does to you."

Fires and explosions are just two of the dangers faced by children
exposed to meth, said Patty Leal, RN/PHN with the Siskiyou County
Health Department.

Because many of the chemicals used in meth production are toxic, Leal
said anyone who comes in contact with them is exposed to risks such
as cancer, central nervous system damage, liver and kidney problems,
birth defects, brain damage and heart problems.

Merely inhaling the chemicals during production can result in a
positive test for use of the drug.

Two national reports on drug endangered children show that up to 70
percent of children test positive for meth within 72 hours of
exposure at a meth lab.

There are reports of infants and toddlers suffering from second and
third degree burns to their hands, knees and feet after crawling on
floors where meth production chemicals have been spilled.

Leal said children are also at risk for neglect and emotional,
physical and sexual abuse from meth users, including parents,
caregivers and their friends.

"Meth use affects a parent's judgement," she said. "They are unable
to provide the consistent nurturing that a child requires during the
vital first three years of development."

Leal said many addicted parents report that they themselves were
deprived as children. The reports include a home life marked with
parental substance abuse, severe neglect and family violence.

"They grew up in homes where their educational and emotional needs
were not met," Leal said. "Having grown up without being nurtured
themselves, these parents are unable to provide effective parenting
for their own children. They become irritated and strike out at the
child, yelling, demeaning and even hitting the child."

Children of meth using parents often go unfed, unbathed and
unsupervised. The user, coming down from a high after being up days
at a time, may sleep for three, four or five days, or may be on a
"meth run" in which they are gone for several days, leaving the child
in the care or at the whim of another drug user, Leal said.

Just one example of the health risks and neglect to children is the
following report from the California Governor's Office of Criminal
Justice Planning:

Five children, ranging in age from one to seven, were removed from a
home that had no electricity or heat other than a gas stove with the
oven door open.

Used hypodermic needles and dog feces littered the children's play
area and sewage was backed up in the tub, leaving no place to bathe
the children.

It was discovered during a hospital examination that all the children
were infected with hepatitis C and the youngest child's liver was
enlarged to the size of an adult's. Every one of the children had
needle marks on their feet, legs, hands and arms from accidental
contact with the discarded syringes.

Child Protective Services estimates that 50 to 80 percent of all
child abuse and neglect cases involve some degree of substance abuse.

Leal showed a video of a young mother who had lost her children as a
result of her meth addiction. Crying, the woman said she wanted her
children back, but she just wasn't strong enough to break the habit.

Leal said it is a common story, but one that can have a happy ending
if the parent is willing to seek help.

"The first step is to admit that you have a problem," she said. "You
have to ask yourself, which is really more important to me, the drugs
or my child."

Leal said the Health Department and other county agencies including
Behavioral Health and Child Protective Services do not want to see
families torn apart. However, she said the primary concern is the
safety and welfare of the children.

She said the courts, which in the past had been very reluctant to
take a child from the parent, are now taking a more proactive child
safety-oriented approach in dealing with child abuse and neglect.

Jim Parker, senior special agent in charge of the Bureau of Narcotic
Enforcement regional office in Redding said searches of homes where
children are living have uncovered some "very unsafe living conditions."

These reports including a refrigerator void of any food other than a
piece of rotting meat infested with maggots and a baby in a crib with
no blankets who had not been changed "for quite some time."

"Obviously, this is not providing adequate care and the child should
not be in that home," Leal said.