Oh, Charlie

By Susie Cagle at Urlesque.com

The Georgia Meth Project: Too Little, Too Late?

I was listening to Pandora Radio, today when Third Eye Blind‘s Semi-Charmed Life came up on my cue. I began thinking about the semi-new Georgia Meth Project.

A few months ago, the Georgia highway and airwaves were suddenly speckled with anti-meth ads. I, along with many other members of my society, found the advertisements fascinatingly gruesome. Some hi-lights: A girl talking about how her best friend committed suicide when she refused to give her meth, a dismal prison cell depicted on a billboard beneath print that says, “No one thinks they’ll lose their virginity here. Meth can change that,” a girl talking about her teeth disintegrating as she pulled them out of her mouth.  I have no doubt that any number of these ads could easily dissuade a teenager from doing the drug.

Back in 2005, when the Meth Project was started in Montana, meth was everywhere in Georgia. I could name many friends and acquaintances of mine  from many different walks of life that casually did the drug. In some ways, it was the great uniter. Meth knew no bounds such as income, intelligence, or education level. All sorts of people did meth, and did it frequently.

If Montana was anything like Georgia, the project’s creation makes perfect sense. So why didn’t Georgia jump on it, and campaign for the project to move to GA, next, or create a similar project to dissuade Georgia teens from essentially killing themselves? Is it possible that Georgia government is so out of touch with its populace that it was unaware of the problem until recently? Or was it that the project’s waiting list was 5 years long, and no one cared enough to start a similar campaign in this state? I wonder what the meth death toll was in Georgia during those five years that the state drug its feet.

These days, the drug trend seems to be going in a more “natural” direction. I’ve noticed straight speed and ex are far more prevalent than meth in the casual environment (at least in the circles I’ve spent time in). It seems as though the drug trend is flashing back to the early 90’s. I’d be hard pressed to name even one person I know who still does meth.

Maybe trends are simply changing with the times. Maybe it’s just because I’m growing up, or maybe teens have wised up about snorting hardware store materials. Whatever the reason, I doubt any of it is the result of the Georgia Meth Project.