Legislators address methamphetamine problem
Jeanne Windham,
Representative HD 12
Methamphetamine use in Montana has steadily increased over the last decade, becoming a top priority for law enforcement across the state. Meth use affects not only the users, but their children, their families and their communities.
An alarming trend in meth use is that women, who typically make up a smaller percentage of drug users compared to men, account for roughly half of meth users. Recent stories have told of women who go through life in a drug-induced haze, buying and manufacturing meth, regardless of whether they have children or are pregnant. As the quality of the meth user's life deteriorates, so do the lives of the innocent and helpless children involved.
Fortunately, Montana legislators are cracking down on this problem by introducing bills that will combat the meth problem from every angle. From prevention and treatment, to tougher penalties and stronger sentences, the Legislature is serious about stopping meth use and manufacturing, with an end result of protecting the innocent and most vulnerable, the children of Montana.
In addition to HB 326 (Peterson, R-Buffalo) no fewer than 11 bills have been proposed addressing the number one challenge to law enforcement, chemical dependency programs and correctional facilities.
HB 326 would provide a long term inpatient treatment program with extensive follow up care for second or subsequent offenses of possession of methamphetamine. Although this bill carries with it a price tag to the taxpayers, the sponsor and all of the proponents (there were no opponents) argue that without this program, the state is caught in the cycle of dealing with this ever-increasing use of meth and the cost of enforcement, with no real plan of preventing and combating the use of this highly addictive drug.
HB 340, introduced in committee last week by Brady Wiseman (D- Bozeman), would provide for television and radio advertisements that describe the very real and horrifying physical, mental and emotional effects of meth use on a person. Also introduced last week, HB 60 (Harris, D-Bozeman) would require standards for cleanup of property contaminated by clandestine manufacture of meth.
And finally, the as-yet-to-be introduced bills include laws providing the rights and remedies for property owners affected by meth, making it a felony for failure to disclose the source of meth and requiring that the ingredients of meth be sold in restricted areas.
Each day, we hear in the news about the driving and "most important" issues facing the Legislature. I would argue that the use and manufacturing of meth is no less important; and, without addressing this serious issue, the manufacture and use of meth will have as much of a negative impact (if not more) on our children, our families, our community, as any of the other "important" issues left unaddressed by the Legislature.
At this point in the session, I hold close Charles Swindoll's wise words about attitude:
"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past … we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our attitudes."
Representative Jeanne Windham, Montana House of Representatives, PO Box 200400, Helena, MT 59620-0400; phones, capitol, (406) 444-4800; cell: (406) 544-8086 Email: