A day does not pass where a horrific tale of drug abuse wrenches my heart. If you are weak and cannot handle extreme stories of sadness, read no farther. Should you care to glimpse yet another tragic situation in the capital of crystal meth, read on. Trust me these are disturbing.
Sick, Sick, Sick
Let’s begin by stating this is a story from CBS News about the dangers of crystal meth. That was the drug responsible when a 23-year-old Fresno, California woman fatally shot her two toddlers and a cousin, critically wounded her husband then turned the gun on herself. It turned out the mother had videotaped herself smoking meth hours before the shooting.
In family photos, the children are adorable, the mother pretty. They lived in a large apartment complex near a freeway with neatly clipped lawns and mature trees. The father was recently laid off from a packing house job.
Less than two days later a Bakersfield mother was sentenced for stabbing her newborn while in a meth rage. An Oklahoma woman drowned her baby in a washing machine in November. A New Mexico woman claiming to be God stabbed her son with a screwdriver last month, saying, "God wants him dead."
The Central Valley of California is a hub of the nation's methamphetamine distribution network, making extremely pure forms of the drug easily available locally.
This is an extremely addictive and dangerous drug. I am sure you have been told this before.
Chronic use of the harsh chemical compound known as speed or crank can lead to psychosis, which includes hearing voices and experiencing hallucinations. The stimulant effect of meth is up to 50 times longer than cocaine so users stay awake for days on end, impairing cognitive function and contributing to extreme paranoia.
Most law enforcement agencies don't keep statistics on how many homicides, burglaries and thefts are meth-related, but those responding to the National Drug Intelligence Center's 2011 survey said the drug is the top contributor to violent crimes and thefts.
Authorities say the science involved in creating the chemical compound continues to evolve, including an easier recipe called "Shake and Bake" that is available on the Internet. Last month, an Oklahoma woman was arrested as she walked around a Wal-Mart store — for six hours before she was noticed — mixing ingredients for Shake and Bake.
In one of the recent attacks by meth users, Danielle Mailloux received a nine- month sentence in Bakersfield Tuesday for stabbing her 6-week-old infant in the back and cutting her along her abdomen, jaw and neck during a binge. The baby survived.
"It's not illegal because we don't want people to feel better. It's illegal because it makes good people do crazy things," said Mailloux's defense attorney, Mark Anthony Raimondo.
These stories are absolutely sickening. This is one of the worst drugs because it is so easy to manufacture and is so inexpensive. More drug classes are needed to keep kids from ever starting this junk!