If Crack is Whack - What is Meth?

There are few things in life that I can’t endure. One thing though is a boring speaker, about an interesting topic, while I sit on hard, folding chairs. That was what I found myself enduring over the last two days.

I was at a drug conference about a topic in which I have an interest, but for some reason - maybe undiagnosed ADD - my attention span was the equivalent of a grass hopper. If grass hoppers have normal attention spans then I apologize to any grass hopper I may have offended. Guess I could have said, "wholly worms". Everyone knows they are real flakes!

This drug conference shed little new light on a subject that has been ebbing and flowing through our communities here in Southern Illinois. For those of you who don’t know - Meth (methamphetamine, ice, crank, etc.) was a really rampant drug about five years ago in these here parts. Now, the drug problem has changed to a prescription drug abuse epidemic. It was explained that this new phenomenon was a result of those individuals being addicted needing a fix and finding agreeable doctors willing to write a script.

Here’s a little eye-opener for you. If you have a Rx for something that is an Opiate (Vicadin, Ativan, Hydrocodone, Oxycontin, etc.) keep track of how many pills are in your bottle. The experts today said that the family medicine cabinet is the first place many kids are introduced to powerful pills that they have no business touching.

Pretty much after I was told what I already knew, my interest waned. And my butt got tired. Ironically, I found myself daydreaming about getting meth for personal use just to stay alert.

Any why do we not have a drug court in Jackson County???

The views expressed in the above blog are not necessarily those represented by the 1st Circuit Probation Department, the Judges of the 1st Circuit, or the presenters at the conference.

Listen Here, Par'ner.

I'm back. The trip that started this morning at 10:15am ended at 9pm.

My brother got married. It was beautiful. Amanda was the flower girl and did exactly what she was told to do and was an angel doing it.

My toast rocked - they laughed, I cried. We all got through it.

Kansas, despite every joke about how flat it is, was actually quite beautiful. (Little known fact about the Flint Hills area between Kansas City and Wichita - it is the WORLD's largest area of tall grass prairie. It was burned off earlier this spring to allow new growth grass to grow better so it was largely blackened. End of your geography lesson.) It is not flat like the rest of the prairie across central and northern Kansas... it is hilly and you can see cows and valleys for 20 miles in all directions. It was pretty but make no mistake... it's cowboy country.

I am so happy for my brother. It was an extremely emotional time for me. I was pretty well composed until I thought of my own wedding during the rehearsal. I again teared up during the actual wedding when my daughter, all 5 years old but looking 15 came down the isle and I thought how big the smile Cindy would have had as she watched her "big girl". I wanted to hug Amanda at the end of the isle as she stood with the bride's maids. But I didn't.

That would have been one of many future "oh, Dad" moments.