In the Grip of Meth
By Suzanne Wills, Drug policy observer
May, 2005
Our parallel systems of distributing methamphetamine hydrochloride illustrate the sharp contrast between unregulated (illegal) markets and regulated (legal) markets.
On Easter Sunday readers of the Dallas Morning News were informed that East Texas is in the grip of meth. School teachers, police officers, college professors, businessmen and women and little league moms are all addicted. Infants are born with meth in their bloodstreams; 10 year olds are users; teenagers prostitute themselves for the drug. “White-trash crack" is cooked and sold in vacation homes, in trailers and on party boats and barges. Child-welfare workers, judges, doctors and cops work ceaselessly to combat it.
The Dallas Morning News didn’t mention the regulated sales of methamphetamine hydrochloride which take place in Walgreens, CVS and other pharmacies in East Texas and elsewhere. Here the drug is called Desoxyn. It is distributed in clean bottles to children for attention deficit disorder and to adults for obesity. Doctors are involved, but child-welfare workers, judges and cops are not.
Regulation does not change the characteristics of methamphetamine hydrochloride. Ovation Pharmaceutical, Inc., which owns and distributes Desoxyn, warns that “excessive doses of this medication can produce addiction. Individuals who stop taking this medication after taking high doses for a long time may suffer withdrawal symptoms, including extreme tiredness, depression, and sleep disorders. Signs of excessive use of Desoxyn include severe skin inflammation, difficulty sleeping, irritability, hyperactivity, personality changes, and psychiatric problems.”
As risky as legal methamphetamine hydrochloride is, it is much safer than the illegal version. Desoxyn is never cut with fire ant bait. The laboratories where it is manufactured meet OSHA standards. Users who develop problems are not afraid to consult a physician.
From the 1930s until 1965, amphetamines were fairly easy to obtain. They were popular with college students, truck drivers, shift workers and those who wanted to lose a few pounds. They were abused by a few “speed freaks.” Using the flawed but familiar reasoning that stricter controls will produce less drug use, the federal government removed many pharmaceutical amphetamine products from the market in 1965. Demand for the drugs remained strong. The market answered with meth. Drugs that are substituted for popular drugs are often more dangerous than the originals. This one is no exception.
There are several meth bills before the Texas Legislature. They would increase penalties for manufacture and distribution and create a meth awareness program. These solutions have been tried many times with many drugs. If they worked East Texas would not be in the grip of meth.
Follow up to King v. Mothers, Nov. 2004: Randall Sims has replaced Rebecca King as DA of Potter County. At a LWV drug policy event in March, Mr. Sims was asked if he intended to drop the charges his office has filed against women for in utero delivery of drugs in light of the Texas Attorney General’s ruling against Potter County’s position. He said he did not and expected the cases to go to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
The East Dallas Unit will not meet on May 11. We will instead register voters at the naturalization ceremony at the Convention Center on May 19.