Study: Meth not harder to treat than other 'drugs'

The belief that addiction to methamphetamine is harder to treat took a blow from a study of treatment outcomes among more than 12,000 patients in Washington state. All 'hard' drug users (meth, cocaine, opiates) had, on the average, less successful treatment outcomes than users of alcohol and/or marijuana, but there were no statistically significant differences in successful recoveries between methamphetamine users and users of the other 'hard' drugs. Conclude the authors: patients addicted to meth can respond to treatment as positively as those addicted to cocaine and other hard drugs. Thanks, Jason Schwartz, for this item. Original article.

For an anecdotal confirmation of this message, see this story out of Tulsa, OK.

Osage Congress passes anti-meth law

PAWHUSKA, Okla. The Osage Nation's new Congress has unanimously passed a law that it hopes will close a possible loophole in Oklahoma's much-lauded anti-methamphetamine legislation.

The Osage Nation is the first American Indian tribe to pass its own anti-meth bill. It bans possession of more than 9 grams of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, which are cold medicine ingrediates used to make meth.

When state lawmakers passed their anti-meth law, one concern was that meth cooks might move their operations to tribal land. Osage National officials say they hope the tribal law will discourage that.Under the tribal law, violators can receive a 1-year prison sentence and a 10-year banishment from the tribe. In particularly egregious cases on tribal land, federal courts would likely take jurisdiction. Source.