In 2008, there were 85 children (under age 12 years old) tested in this area. Of these 85 children the average age was 2 years old.
82 of the 85 children tested positive for drug use by means of Hair Follicle Drug Testing. In almost all of these cases, the children's results were as high as the parent who was actively using the drug.
What does this mean?
This means that because Hair Follicle Drug testing does not detect exposure to contaminants in the air, the children are ingesting the drugs somehow and being as affected as the person in the household using the drugs.
This also means the child goes through all of the physical symptoms that the actual drug user themselves will go through upon quitting the use.
There are many methods for the children to become contaminated with the drugs being used in the household.
Although there is no physical evidence to prove (due to the nature of how to conduct testing), it appears some drugs (predominantly Methamphetamine) can be transferred by skin to skin contact.
We also find concerns that when a parent is in a state of a drug induced high, the children have all too easy access to handle the drugs in the home unknowingly.
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This is a sad event, I have seen yet again this week.
ReplyDeleteThe painful truth is knowing that these innocent children are now facing withdrawl symptoms when they are removed to safety...
I can still recall a day during the school year last year, when a student was brought into Protective Services, because it was rare the child had an appropriate lunch.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm not meaning it was a lunch of junk food or any such criticism.
This child's lunch often had a can of cat food, one day an empty cigarette pack, another day a roll of toilet paper, another day a rotting apple core, etc...
you get the picture...
the parent packing the lunch was always so unable to be sober long enough to pack a lunch that the parent put random items in the lunch kit, unable to think clearly what they were doing and what for...
with the latest trend of drug use rising again lately, I'm fearful as to the things I will see once this school year starts again....