Your article “Methamphetamine fuels the West’s
oil and gas boom” presented a very one-sided look at the problem
(HCN, 10/3/05: Methamphetamine fuels the West’s oil and gas boom).
You acknowledged that meth helped the workers survive long, hard
12-hour days and that the drug can keep a user awake for hours or
even days. You also point out that meth traces its chemical lineage
back to WW II when soldiers were given “pep” pills to help them
keep going.
The problem is, as you point out, that many
of the oil-rig workers are jailed, because they turn to crime to
support their habit. However, as your featured sheriff admits,
“I’ve seen our community and other communities deal with this
in the traditional way, and it’s gotten us nowhere.” The
“traditional way,” of course, is denying people jobs and putting
them in jail.
Well, supposing we just stopped enforcing
the laws barring the use of meth? The United States long ago found
that the prohibition of alcohol was a no-winner. Alcohol is
addictive, too; driving under the influence is dangerous, and it is
also associated with domestic abuse. But suppression didn’t
work. Also, testing for alcohol use the night before arriving for
work never kept anyone from getting a job.
If the workers
feel that meth helps them, why not let them alone? The jails would
empty, and the counties would save enough money to offer
rehabilitation to those workers who want to get off the drug.
James Lipscomb
New York, New
York
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The bright side of meth.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
