Iowa’s drug endangered children efforts are becoming increasingly urgent as Iowa’s children continue to be discovered living in deplorable conditions, neglected beyond imagination, and suffering at the hands of drug-using parents. Iowa professionals throughout the state are telling the real-life stories and sharing the tragedies of drug endangered children they have encountered.
For a real-life example of what can happen when a child grows up thinking Iowa’s meth epidemic is everyday life, see Tony Ley’s coverage of an Iowa girl whose life has been painfully impacted by the road paved by her father. Read the article from the Sunday Des Moines Register entitled Dad’s Drug Runner for an in-depth look at the story of one Iowa child caught up in the tragedy of meth.
A recent Iowa case in which the Court of Appeals upheld the termination of parental rights tells the tragedy of two little girls who were present when their father was arrested. Inside the home where they were staying with their father, law enforcement found individually packaged user amounts of cocaine, roaches with a roach clip, a scale, seventy-four grams of methamphetamine, and twenty-five grams of cocaine. Officers also found a brick of methamphetamine weighing 359 grams, hidden within a bed near the girls. The drugs were accessible to the girls.
When the girls were found by officers, they were dirty and had lice. It was later discovered that neither child had been potty trained, both girls still drank out of a bottle, neither girl knew how to use a cup or utensils to eat, and both girls had decayed teeth. Moreover, both girls were very aggressive, had short thin scars about their chest, head, and back, and could not speak. Their mother, in jail, admitted that she used cocaine when the girls were in her care.
The reasons for having an Iowa Drug Endangered Program are compelling, and the challenges that lie ahead are enormous. Iowa law enforcement officers continually report finding children at meth lab sites and, in partnership with child protective workers, make regular referrals to hospitals that use the National DEC Medical Protocol. It’s all about Iowa’s children and rescuing them when they are victimized by parental drug use and drug manufacturing.
Read new Updated Articles from the DesMoines Register, the New York Times and other publications related to methamphetamine and Drug Endangered Children.
Before the Iowa Legislature are several child protection and public safety bills with the potential for positive impact. Monitor legislative activity by the 81st Iowa General Assembly by clicking onto www.legis.state.ia.us.
View the new 2004 Drug Endangered Children Map, distributed by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
NEW: View the new Legislation & Advocacy for information about state and federal legislation being considered by lawmakers, and the new Remediation and Cleanup page reserved for considerations and discussion about meth lab contamination and cleanup.
The Iowa Drug Endangered Children website reflects the beginnings of an advocacy community growing in Iowa driven by the need to stand up for Iowa’s children endangered by illicit drugs. The Iowa DEC community, like similar collaborative efforts in other states, is a committed group of professionals dedicated to finding solutions to the problems associated with methamphetamine, and to build a better world for the children affected.
This Iowa Drug Endangered Children Web Site is NOT the source for official legal information. Although every effort is made toward accuracy and timeliness of the information provided, some information is provisional and all information is provided without any express or implied warranty. If information on this site may affect your legal rights, refer to official printed publications of the law or contact legal counsel of your choice.