The Montana Meth Project - It's Disturbing, Grotesque...and Effective

A few years ago I was employed as an Investigator for our local child and family services unit. One afternoon, we received an anonymous report from a frantic female..."a man, in his twenties with sores all over his face and body is screaming at his children....his three year old is covered in bruises and we can hear a baby screaming from inside the apartment".

We contacted local police and drove to the home as fast as we could. The officers arrived first. The man opened the door and immediately slammed it in the officers' faces. They kicked down the door in and detained him. It took two very large officers to hold the tiny man down. He was frantic, screaming, telling them..."just shoot me...do it...do it....kill me". He looked like a wild animal frothing from the mouth. His face and arms were covered with fresh sores. His eyes were darting wildly around the room. He didn't look human.

We searched for the children. The baby was easy to find because we could hear her crying even before we entered the apartment. She was filthy. Her full diaper was hanging from her bottom and her unbathed skin felt sticky. She smelled like sweat and stale milk. She clung to my partner as she carried her outside and I began to search for the three year old. I called his name. Nothing. The home was filthy so I was forced to lift up the smelly blankets, clothes, and wastebaskets to see if he was under them. He wasn't. I walked downstairs and heard him scurry. He was cowering behind a couch. He looked like a stray cat who'd been kicked a few too many times. His eyes looked like saucers as he stared at me. He began to whimper. "I don't want the police to get me." "You are okay now", I assured him.

I told him that I was going to take him with me. He looked relieved, left his hiding space and walked out with me with a smile on his face. It never ceased to amaze me how relaxed some children become when you tell them that you will be taking them from their home. What sort of nightmare do they have to be enduring to willingly, (and often gladly ) walk away from their home and parents?

I live in Billings, Montana and for nearly five years I was knee-deep in our local methanphetamine epidemic. Nearly 90% of our child abuse investigations involved methanphetamine (most commonly referred to as "crank") abuse.

In 1998 Time Magazine referred to Billings as "Crank Town, USA". Needless to say, the mayor chose not to adopt the nickname as our city slogan. Today, thanks to the Montana Meth Project, Billings is no longer known as known as "Crank Town ,USA". Rather we should be known as the community that took action.

As soon as the graphic, violent and "in your face" ads hit the airwaves many parents expressed outrage. They contacted local stations and demanded that the public service ads be removed immediately. However, those of us who've seen the horrific aftermath of methanphetamine abuse firsthand appreciated Tom Siebel's unyielding devotion to ensuring that Montana teens and parents would also witness the nightmarish consequences of trying methanphetamine....not even once the headlines read. (Tom Siebel is a local business man who donated the funds to launch the project.)

Remember those ads, "this is your brain on drugs". While the ads were clever, I am fairly certain that most teenagers didn't really equate a fried egg with brain damage and many simply didn't care (I know I didn't). What do teens really care about? They care about their looks. They worry about zits, pock-marks, bad hair days, acne scars and cold sores. They also care about popularity, "hooking up" and friendships. All of which are key elements of the ad campaign.

As I drive my daughter to preschool each morning I pass a huge billboard that depicts a young girl whose teeth are yellowed and rotting. Her lips are scabbed and covered with sores. The ad states, "you'll never worry about lipstick on your teeth again". When I drive to my favorite discount store, I can't turn away from another billboard which depicts the scabbed face of a young man that looks like he was assaulted with a cheese grater. It says, "actually doing meth won't make it easier to hook up".

My daughter is three. The first time I saw the ads I was angered and turned to cover her face, "she doesn't need to see that".....and then, I remembered the wild-eyed young man whose young children suffered physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their crank-addicted father. "Yes, she does". I thought. I want those images to be burned into her brain at the earliest age possible.

Montana Senator Conrad Burns recently sponsored a bill that would provide funding for the ads to be aired nationwide. Be forewarned, the ads are graphic, horrific and even grotesque. If they air in your community you'll have two choices. You can become "outraged" and demand that the stations stop airing them to protect your young children from seeing the horrific images, or you can look at them and encourage your children (even the really young ones) to do the same. I strongly suggest you do the former because the reality of a methanphetamine addiction is far more terrifying , violent and disturbing a 30 second ad spot or billboard can possibly depict.