The Ice Storm

The Ice Storm The impact of crystal methamphetamine on America's rural communities has been devastating. Half the prisoners in Montana are incarcerated for meths-related crimes.
"We've never had a chemical that's attacked rural America the way methamphetamines have", states Ron Clen, founder of 'Teens in Crisis'. "Crystal meths was literally just a dark cloud that settled over our community". The drug plays havoc with the minds and bodies of users, leaving addicts paranoid and violent. "I've been involved in law enforcement for 30 years and never seen anything like it", confides Attorney-General Mike McGrath. Little is known about the long term impact of crystal meths. Unlike heroin, there is no medical substitute to help addicts kick the habit and standard rehabilitation programmes only have a 4% success rate. Faced with such a problem, Montana has taken the groundbreaking approach of accepting addiction as a medical issue, not just a criminal one. "If we just warehouse addicts in a prison setting, they're not going to deal with their addictions", explains McGrath. The state has created separate prisons for meths users and is running high profile anti-drugs media campaigns.
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