This is Part 3 in a 3 part series being blogged by Terry Goddard; Arizona's Attorney General.
Terry, if you don't know, was long-time Phoenix mayor when Democrats couldn't get elected to dog catcher. He is an unabashed, fighting Democrat who took down the famous "Phoenix 40" by bringing a district system to the Phoenix city council which elected 3 Latinos and 1 African-American that year.
He became Arizona's HUD Director in the Clinton years and then got elected to Attorney General in 2002. Rumors are that he will succeed Governor Janet Napolitano in 2010.
http://terrygoddard.org/...
Every child should be able to feel safe in his or her own home. However, for the children living in meth labs, their home lives often consist of abuse, neglect, and hazardous, unsanitary conditions. Their parents, who are supposed to be caring for them, are consumed by their methamphetamine addictions, and place their children at great risk on a daily basis. The Arizona Attorney General's DEC program has been prosecuting cases like these since 2000, dealing with a total of 285 drug endangered children.
Part 3: Protecting children, raising awareness
Every child should be able to feel safe in his or her own home. However, for the children living in meth labs, their home lives often consist of abuse, neglect, and hazardous, unsanitary conditions. Their parents, who are supposed to be caring for them, are consumed by their methamphetamine addictions, and place their children at great risk on a daily basis. The Arizona Attorney General's DEC program has been prosecuting cases like these since 2000, dealing with a total of 285 drug endangered children.
The DEC was founded in 2000 by then-Attorney General Janet Napolitano under the title "The Meth and Kids Task Force." This program coordinates the efforts of Child Protective Services, first responders, and prosecutors in dealing with the issues associated with the removal of children from meth labs. In 2003, Terry renamed the task force to the Arizona Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Program and expanded it to encompass more cases involving drug-related child endangerment, and training program participants throughout the state. In 2005 alone, 1,039 nurses, law enforcement officers, CPS workers, EMTs, fire fighters, attorneys, and probation officers attended DEC trainings.
This year, Terry championed legislation to protect children from the dangers of meth labs. The bill, which was signed in to law in May, ensured that anyone who exposes a child or a vulnerable adult to the chemicals or equipment used in the creation of meth will be held criminally responsible for their actions. Violation of this new law will result in a class 2 to a class 6 felony.
In cooperation with several members of the legislature, Terry is currently working toward legislation that would further tighten restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine, give more resources to meth treatment programs, and providing more education programs for kids on the dangers of meth.
One such program that Terry is trying to bring to Arizona is the Montana Meth Project, an ad campaign launched in August 2005 that has raised awareness and opened up a dialogue between kids and parents about the dangers of meth. In addition, in late 2005 Terry invited all Arizona eighth graders to participate in an anti-meth poster contest. There were over 300 entries from 42 schools across the state. Many of the posters depicted the life-threatening consequences of meth use. Terry believes that prevention is a vital component in the curbing of meth's dangerous effects on Arizona families.