I read what you wrote about this on your blog, and I tend to agree that it’s difficult to know exactly how to solve this problem. Certainly, though, it’s not rational for employers to give meth-heads jobs in the hope that employment alone will steer them in a better direction.
I watched this PBS documentary not long ago about the proliferation of meth use in the United States and its correlation with the drug’s purity. The more pure the drug, the more users. It’s an intuitive pattern, but it means that many meth users are able to kick the habit when the drug decreases in purity. I suppose what we’re seeing in Central Louisiana is a combination of two factors: 1) An increase in purity 2) A general eastward movement of the drug.
Meth first became popular in Oregon, Washington, and California, and slowly, throughout the past decade, it has crept its way east, building a network of dealers, distributors, and sophisticated users. It’s also captured a different demographic; it’s become increasingly rural (which leads many people to say things like, “It’s taking over the heartland.”)
I believe that the Drug War is America’s biggest failure in the past thirty years. It uses the conventional notions of punishment (locking people up in jail) against individuals charged with consensual crimes. In this respect, I’m a libertarian. I don’t think you should be able to lock people up for crimes they committed against themselves. However, we can’t ignore the problem with drugs like meth, and meth addicts should be forced to receive treatment.
Anyway, back to the story at hand: The Town Talk got this one wrong. It’s a fascinating concept (meth causing an employment shortage), but it’s just not true. This story is about how a temp agency attracts a lot of meth-heads, primarily because of the nature of a temp agency. I’m certain you would hear similar versions of this story throughout the nation. It’s like going into a payday loan place, interviewing the manager, and then printing a story that declares, “Central Louisianas Never Pay Back Loans.”
No offense to the writer of this particular story, because I found it to be interesting. It just needs to refocus its thesis.
Central LouisianaNs Never Pay Pack Loans. Pardon my mistake.
I don’t mean to suggest that I meth isn’t a problem here, because I think it definitely is. I just think the story approached the problem from the wrong angle.
yes we agree with your nationwide perspective and your payday loan statement gives us something new to think about. the war on some drugs has been a failure the only people to benefit are the manufacturers/dealers and the prison industry. this “war on…[pick your favorite boogeyman]” mindset first came into the national conscienceness back in the 60s with the equally failed war on poverty.
our focus is on central louisiana and what are “we” going to do about this rising underclass of people that cant get a job and will have to resort to crime in order to survive? desperate employers and employees should bypass companies like protemp that put up these roadblocks and do like they do in california and other places and have places to “pick up” day laborers etc. of coz this results in other problems as well. all things being equal though we would prefer to be able to go out and not fear being robbed or killed so some meth-head can get a new fix, when all the while he could have been working and hopefully becoming one of those “sophisticated” users.
I understand the article in the paper today was intended to offer a glimpse into the local effects of a nationwide problem with meth. But I think the best way to understand the local problem is by understanding it as part of a larger trend.
When I talked about sophisticated users, I wasn’t necessarily talking about functional meth addicts, because I don’t think it’s possible to function normally under the influence of meth. I’ve seen little evidence that meth can ever positively effect someone’s life.
And to that end, I think we should change our government’s policy on drug crimes in a way that focuses on rehabilitation instead of prolonged incarceration. In many instances, inmates can find drugs as readily available in prison as in the outside world. It’s hard to understand how throwing an addict in an environment of drugs and violent criminals could encourage them to sober up.
There are two types of meth users in this country- functional and recreational. This area sees the recreational users moreso than the functional variety.
What is a functional user? My ex-roommate at one time used meth when she would work longhaul trucking. She stayed coherent and could pull off shifts like no ones business. Like her, people use meth as a way of pulling long shifts at plants, paper mills, and while trucking. Most of these people are the unknown users as they aren’t always seen as the problem. The Pacific NW and Pittsburgh-Steel Town areas are where you find the shift laborers who use but not abuse.
The imprisonment of drug users is perhaps one of the sadder epics we face in this nation. Most keep using in jail and the users of drugs such as marijuana get shafted by long prison terms that do nothing for society.
First, I believe the reporter should have visited with companies other than a temp agency as well as companies who perform the actual drug testing to get a real perspective on the percentage of persons failing employment drug tests today. DOL will tell you the rate is 30%. Most employers, because they advertise they test as part of the application process and continue to do randoms during employment will tell you quite a different story. Why do people go to temp agencies for jobs? Once you answer that question, you might find the reason their percentage is higher than the average employer in the area.
Next – drugs are a serious problem and meth labs have become a HUGE problem in Rapides and our surrounding parishes – why? The reporter did get this one right – first, it’s an inexpensive drug to produce. Second reason – we have thousands of acres of National Forest Land for labs to be set up in and hidden away from prying eyes. What is going on now was going on back in the days of prohibition – only meth labs are set up now instead of stills. Whether we’re talking meth or moonshine, they’re both dangerous.
The war on drugs is FAILING for a myriad of reasons. There is no true cure. There’s no real education component either before someone becomes hoooked or after. For those who go through treatment, skills training is a must in order to get a job. Despite rehabilitation employers are often reluctant to hire recovering addicts and the addict themself once hired feels added pressure – as if the boss is watching him daily to see if he has slipped – creating another sense of drama and leading him right back to where he came from – the drugs or alcohol.
Until we get past the belief that we’re not reponsible for our actions – the “it’s someone else’s fault” attitude – and until we start revealing to youth at an even younger age the realities of drug and alcohol abuse – possibly going to extent of using the extreme cases to do so – we’re not going to make any headway. We also have to build up the support system for those recovering and struggling daily with their demons to survive and not fall back into the clutches of their old habits, but to move forward and develop their skills and to become a contributing member of society. Yes, I know that’s a polyanna point of view, but without the support there is no hope for those seeking to recover and we as society and potential employers have to realize they do it one day at a time.
Head around Elmer and you’ll see plenty of meth labs past and present. The area is saturated with these places. Same goes for hotel rooms around the city. Back in Natchitoches they busted a small meth lab run out of the Microtel years ago. But we truly haven’t seen meth use and production in full effect like other areas of the country. This issue should have been discussed back in 2000-2003 when it was becoming more common nationwide.
I agree with the statement that it is one day at a time. With the current climate in the service industry, such things are not the case. Recovery is hardly an issue when you worry whether you will be fired for some petty reason or another. I’ve seen it happen. Let’s face it, a lot of employers in this area don’t care about their workers and have huge turnover ratios in terms of the workforce. This does not help the situation at all when you’re looked at as disposal labor. Especially if you’re trying to piece your life back together.
I work in the service industry. Almost everyone, from the cooks to the servers to upper management are recovering “somethings”. Specifically the rurally raised employees are recovering meth addicts (about 80%). All of which are clean and sober today, but still talk about the “good times” they had in the peak of their meth binges.
The point: They never really recover. I once heard that partaking in a drug like meth even once can leave residual effects on your body for up to 5 years. Now I’m not sure if this is actually true or not, but still. Soley from my own observation of former meth users, they’re still addicted. That in itself is enough to scare me into NOT trying it.
And while I have to agree with “anonymous’s” pollyannic point of view that we do need to do something about the problem, the truth is there is not one program in existence today that has succesfully contributed to clearing up the problem.
Chickdowntown, you’re absolutely right: The drug seems to have such a powerful influence on people that even when they’re “sober,” they still express nostalgia for the high.
One of the main problems, as I see it, is that drug and alcohol counseling has not undergone a significant paradigm shift since Bill W. wrote Alcoholics Anonymous over fifty years ago. The program just doesn’t mesh well with the emotional, psychological, and spiritual demands of the modern user. Instead of reconsidering the basic tenants of the AA platform, the program has, instead, attempted to behave organically. In doing so, it loses its effectiveness as a doctrinal truth. (Not to suggest that I believe that doctrinal programs are MORE effective. I don’t know. But AA is designed as a doctrinal program: It has its own books, catch phrases (language), songs, scripture, etc).
I’d be interested to know what programs are considered “progressive” by today’s standards. Most of the treatment centers in the country use the AA platform, but I am certain there are others that don’t.
Anyway, I can probably talk about this for a long time. AA, believe it or not, was covered extensively in some of my Religious Studies courses for the very reasons I have outlined.
On a side note, most drug users/ alcoholics “miss” the drug once they sober up; I think meth, however, has a particularly pernicious quality about it, because it makes people think they’re more efficient, more intelligent, and more capable.
CenLamar 
oh, so this is why we’re unemployed. ~smacks forehead~
I read what you wrote about this on your blog, and I tend to agree that it’s difficult to know exactly how to solve this problem. Certainly, though, it’s not rational for employers to give meth-heads jobs in the hope that employment alone will steer them in a better direction.
I watched this PBS documentary not long ago about the proliferation of meth use in the United States and its correlation with the drug’s purity. The more pure the drug, the more users. It’s an intuitive pattern, but it means that many meth users are able to kick the habit when the drug decreases in purity. I suppose what we’re seeing in Central Louisiana is a combination of two factors: 1) An increase in purity 2) A general eastward movement of the drug.
Meth first became popular in Oregon, Washington, and California, and slowly, throughout the past decade, it has crept its way east, building a network of dealers, distributors, and sophisticated users. It’s also captured a different demographic; it’s become increasingly rural (which leads many people to say things like, “It’s taking over the heartland.”)
I believe that the Drug War is America’s biggest failure in the past thirty years. It uses the conventional notions of punishment (locking people up in jail) against individuals charged with consensual crimes. In this respect, I’m a libertarian. I don’t think you should be able to lock people up for crimes they committed against themselves. However, we can’t ignore the problem with drugs like meth, and meth addicts should be forced to receive treatment.
Anyway, back to the story at hand: The Town Talk got this one wrong. It’s a fascinating concept (meth causing an employment shortage), but it’s just not true. This story is about how a temp agency attracts a lot of meth-heads, primarily because of the nature of a temp agency. I’m certain you would hear similar versions of this story throughout the nation. It’s like going into a payday loan place, interviewing the manager, and then printing a story that declares, “Central Louisianas Never Pay Back Loans.”
No offense to the writer of this particular story, because I found it to be interesting. It just needs to refocus its thesis.
Central LouisianaNs Never Pay Pack Loans. Pardon my mistake.
I don’t mean to suggest that I meth isn’t a problem here, because I think it definitely is. I just think the story approached the problem from the wrong angle.
yes we agree with your nationwide perspective and your payday loan statement gives us something new to think about. the war on some drugs has been a failure the only people to benefit are the manufacturers/dealers and the prison industry. this “war on…[pick your favorite boogeyman]” mindset first came into the national conscienceness back in the 60s with the equally failed war on poverty.
our focus is on central louisiana and what are “we” going to do about this rising underclass of people that cant get a job and will have to resort to crime in order to survive? desperate employers and employees should bypass companies like protemp that put up these roadblocks and do like they do in california and other places and have places to “pick up” day laborers etc.
of coz this results in other problems as well. all things being equal though we would prefer to be able to go out and not fear being robbed or killed so some meth-head can get a new fix, when all the while he could have been working and hopefully becoming one of those “sophisticated” users.
I understand the article in the paper today was intended to offer a glimpse into the local effects of a nationwide problem with meth. But I think the best way to understand the local problem is by understanding it as part of a larger trend.
When I talked about sophisticated users, I wasn’t necessarily talking about functional meth addicts, because I don’t think it’s possible to function normally under the influence of meth. I’ve seen little evidence that meth can ever positively effect someone’s life.
And to that end, I think we should change our government’s policy on drug crimes in a way that focuses on rehabilitation instead of prolonged incarceration. In many instances, inmates can find drugs as readily available in prison as in the outside world. It’s hard to understand how throwing an addict in an environment of drugs and violent criminals could encourage them to sober up.
There are two types of meth users in this country- functional and recreational. This area sees the recreational users moreso than the functional variety.
What is a functional user? My ex-roommate at one time used meth when she would work longhaul trucking. She stayed coherent and could pull off shifts like no ones business. Like her, people use meth as a way of pulling long shifts at plants, paper mills, and while trucking. Most of these people are the unknown users as they aren’t always seen as the problem. The Pacific NW and Pittsburgh-Steel Town areas are where you find the shift laborers who use but not abuse.
The imprisonment of drug users is perhaps one of the sadder epics we face in this nation. Most keep using in jail and the users of drugs such as marijuana get shafted by long prison terms that do nothing for society.
First, I believe the reporter should have visited with companies other than a temp agency as well as companies who perform the actual drug testing to get a real perspective on the percentage of persons failing employment drug tests today. DOL will tell you the rate is 30%. Most employers, because they advertise they test as part of the application process and continue to do randoms during employment will tell you quite a different story. Why do people go to temp agencies for jobs? Once you answer that question, you might find the reason their percentage is higher than the average employer in the area.
Next – drugs are a serious problem and meth labs have become a HUGE problem in Rapides and our surrounding parishes – why? The reporter did get this one right – first, it’s an inexpensive drug to produce. Second reason – we have thousands of acres of National Forest Land for labs to be set up in and hidden away from prying eyes. What is going on now was going on back in the days of prohibition – only meth labs are set up now instead of stills. Whether we’re talking meth or moonshine, they’re both dangerous.
The war on drugs is FAILING for a myriad of reasons. There is no true cure. There’s no real education component either before someone becomes hoooked or after. For those who go through treatment, skills training is a must in order to get a job. Despite rehabilitation employers are often reluctant to hire recovering addicts and the addict themself once hired feels added pressure – as if the boss is watching him daily to see if he has slipped – creating another sense of drama and leading him right back to where he came from – the drugs or alcohol.
Until we get past the belief that we’re not reponsible for our actions – the “it’s someone else’s fault” attitude – and until we start revealing to youth at an even younger age the realities of drug and alcohol abuse – possibly going to extent of using the extreme cases to do so – we’re not going to make any headway. We also have to build up the support system for those recovering and struggling daily with their demons to survive and not fall back into the clutches of their old habits, but to move forward and develop their skills and to become a contributing member of society. Yes, I know that’s a polyanna point of view, but without the support there is no hope for those seeking to recover and we as society and potential employers have to realize they do it one day at a time.
Head around Elmer and you’ll see plenty of meth labs past and present. The area is saturated with these places. Same goes for hotel rooms around the city. Back in Natchitoches they busted a small meth lab run out of the Microtel years ago. But we truly haven’t seen meth use and production in full effect like other areas of the country. This issue should have been discussed back in 2000-2003 when it was becoming more common nationwide.
I agree with the statement that it is one day at a time. With the current climate in the service industry, such things are not the case. Recovery is hardly an issue when you worry whether you will be fired for some petty reason or another. I’ve seen it happen. Let’s face it, a lot of employers in this area don’t care about their workers and have huge turnover ratios in terms of the workforce. This does not help the situation at all when you’re looked at as disposal labor. Especially if you’re trying to piece your life back together.
I work in the service industry. Almost everyone, from the cooks to the servers to upper management are recovering “somethings”. Specifically the rurally raised employees are recovering meth addicts (about 80%). All of which are clean and sober today, but still talk about the “good times” they had in the peak of their meth binges.
The point: They never really recover. I once heard that partaking in a drug like meth even once can leave residual effects on your body for up to 5 years. Now I’m not sure if this is actually true or not, but still. Soley from my own observation of former meth users, they’re still addicted. That in itself is enough to scare me into NOT trying it.
And while I have to agree with “anonymous’s” pollyannic point of view that we do need to do something about the problem, the truth is there is not one program in existence today that has succesfully contributed to clearing up the problem.
Folks, I fear we’re fighting a losing battle.
Chickdowntown, you’re absolutely right: The drug seems to have such a powerful influence on people that even when they’re “sober,” they still express nostalgia for the high.
One of the main problems, as I see it, is that drug and alcohol counseling has not undergone a significant paradigm shift since Bill W. wrote Alcoholics Anonymous over fifty years ago. The program just doesn’t mesh well with the emotional, psychological, and spiritual demands of the modern user. Instead of reconsidering the basic tenants of the AA platform, the program has, instead, attempted to behave organically. In doing so, it loses its effectiveness as a doctrinal truth. (Not to suggest that I believe that doctrinal programs are MORE effective. I don’t know. But AA is designed as a doctrinal program: It has its own books, catch phrases (language), songs, scripture, etc).
I’d be interested to know what programs are considered “progressive” by today’s standards. Most of the treatment centers in the country use the AA platform, but I am certain there are others that don’t.
Anyway, I can probably talk about this for a long time. AA, believe it or not, was covered extensively in some of my Religious Studies courses for the very reasons I have outlined.
On a side note, most drug users/ alcoholics “miss” the drug once they sober up; I think meth, however, has a particularly pernicious quality about it, because it makes people think they’re more efficient, more intelligent, and more capable.
The only industry I feel may profit from crystal meth is the dental industry.