Meth Use in the Houseless Population @psuaddictionproject-blog - Tumblr Blog

Connection to Komive’s 7 C’s

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhuMxs6A_dJ/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=4iv93icr5shu

This post relates to our blog because it comes from a the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, a resource and recovery center for people with a multitude of addictions. This post relates to the the 7 C’s as described by Komives because being conscious of self is an important factor for creating change. To be able to recognize you have a problem, and then get help is monumental to changing a bad habit. You can then reflect back and dive deeper into your self awareness by seeing that you have made progress. You have implemented change in your life by being conscious of self and committing to correcting unhealthy behaviors.

https://www.facebook.com/MHAofOregon/posts/2334199426603971?__tn__=-R

Link To Article: https://www.mhaoforegon.org/blog/2019/2/15/meth-the-leading-cause-of-drug-related-deaths-in-oregon?fbclid=IwAR1oElT-j3NEIPNAR1gPpwPe3-o9jxaHoApgvvXNPv7JoqEMZpFweiAcIOo

The second social media post we looked at is one from a Facebook page titled, “Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon”. This page is dedicated to promoting self-directed recovery and wellness for all individuals. Through their posts people can learn more about mental health and addictions through stories of people in Oregon. In this particular post, it is a link to a blog post written by Olivia Pennelle that talks about meth being one of the most deadly illicit drugs in Portland, and also how it is the leading cause of drug-related deaths. This article connects back to Collaboration of the seven Cs. This article shows that because it talks about the steps Oregon has taken and is taking to combat meth addiction. For example, Pennelle writes, “Consisting of a statewide network of individuals and organizations, they’ve come together to transform Oregon’s capacity to provide world-class treatment and support for Oregonians suffering from substance use disorders”(Pennelle, 2019). Much of the steps Oregon is taking are large group efforts, which shows that the only way that we can combat drug addiction is if we collaborate together on many different levels to find solutions.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4809359

The final article we found was “Oregon Law Restricts Meth-Related Medications” written by John Ydstie. This NPR article includes an interview between Mr. Ydstie and Robert Bovett, a member of the Oregon Crystal Meth Task Force. They discuss the benefits of requiring a prescription to get pseudoephedrine (or Sudafed). They discuss the previous problem of “group smurfing” which is when a bunch of addicts or makers will go around to different pharmacies picking up sudafed until they have enough to make meth. Now since there is a prescription needed that problem has been eradicated completely. Also many companies have replaced pseudoephedrine in their products with similar chemicals that aren’t able to be used to make meth. This article relates back to the concept of common purpose. I chose common purpose because this was a group effort. It took the government to pass the bill, the pharmacys to enforce it, and the pharmaceutical companies to remove that chemical from their products.

Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/MHAofOregon/posts/2334199426603971?__tn__=-R

Pennelle, O. (2019, February 15). Meth: The Leading Cause of Drug-Related Deaths in Oregon. Retrieved from https://www.mhaoforegon.org/blog/2019/2/15/meth-the-leading-cause-of-drug-related-deaths-in-oregon?fbclid=IwAR1oElT-j3NEIPNAR1gPpwPe3-o9jxaHoApgvvXNPv7JoqEMZpFweiAcIOo

Person, & ProfilePage. (n.d.). The Salvation Army on Instagram: "#salvationarmy #salvationarmyrehabilitationcenter #rehab #alcoholawareness #alcoholawarenessmonth #testimonial #wednesdaywisdom". Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/BhuMxs6A_dJ/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=4iv93icr5shu

Ydstie, J. (2005, August 21). Oregon Law Restricts Meth-Related Medications. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4809359

Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong.

Johann Hari is a journalist that spent 3 years traveling and researching the War on Drugs. Through his travels he was able to gain insight on what addiction really is. When he spoke at this Ted Talk in 2015 it had been exactly 100 years since the USA and Britain banned drugs. Johann mentions that we thought punishing drug addicts would give them reason to stop doing drugs. As he explains though, it is not that black and white. After traveling thousands of miles to various counties, including Portugal (the first country to decriminalize drugs), he came to the conclusion that what we think we know about addiction is completely wrong.

Johann Hari paints a picture as to what we think addiction is. He explains that we think if we use heroin for 20 days, we will become dependent and in turn become addicts. He says there is a flaw in that logic though. He talks about how many of us whom have had large surgerys have taken diamorphine, which is medically pure heroin. If what we think we know about addiction is right, then all of us would have become addicts after our surgeries. Bruce Alexander a psychologist in Vancouver told Johann during his travels that what we think we know about addiction is all based off of experiments done early in the early 20th century. (See below if you would like to know what the experiments were.)* With the knowledge of new experiments, Johann believes addiction is not about dependency but about lack of bonding. Johann uses alcohol as an example, we may all be able to afford to drink vodka all day every day, but we don’t because we have bonds and connections we want to be involved in like work, social circles, and healthy relationships.

Johann believes this to be true because of the way Portugal changed their drug problems. Portugal decriminalized all drugs and instead of using money to punish an addict, they instead used it to help reconnect addicts back into society. They saw addiction, overdoses, and drug related HIV infection rates decrease by 50 percent once this program was enacted. Johann believes that we have traded connections for stuff. “We are one of the loneliest societies there has ever been” says Johann as he wraps up his talk, sharing that he thinks we need to work on not only individual recovery, but social recovery as well.

*The early 20th century experiments was done on a single rats in empty cages. One side of the cage had pure water, the other side had laced water. The rats would usually choose the drugged water and die from overdoses. Professor Alexander created a new experiment in the 70’s called “Rat Park”. Basically a larger cage that has other rats for socialization, exercise equipment, and connected lives. In this experiment the rats didn’t like the drugged water. This rat experiment was shown true because of heroin usage by veterans in the Vietnam War. Vietnam vets were given massive amounts of heroin and everyone thought we would have junkies all over the streets when they were back. However, when our vets got home, most of them just stopped. No need for rehab, no outside help. They just stopped because they had lives to get back to.

Academic Article Blog

The first journal our group looked at is titled, “Substance Use among Runaway and Homeless Youth in Three National Samples” and it is written by Jody M.Greene, MS, Susan T. Ennett, PhD, and Christopher L. Ringwalt, DrPH. Substance abuse and addiction amongst runaway and houseless youth is the main focus of this piece, which correlates well with our blog as our focus is on drug abuse amongst the houseless population. In this journal, the authors define runaway youth as youth who have, “spent at least one night away from home without the permission of parents or legal guardians”(Greene, Ennett, Ringwalt). Furthermore, homeless youth are defined as “youth who have spent at least one night in a youth or adult shelter, an improvised shelter (e.g., an abandoned building, a public place, or a subway or other underground location), on the streets, or in the home of a stranger”(Greene, Ennett, Ringwalt). Having this definition helps to bring a greater understanding of the demographic being examined. One of the questions being addressed by this piece is, why is drug use so high amongst runaway and houseless youth? In short, due to the stress of things like survival and to a basic lifestyle dealing with high-risk behavior, tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use is recognized as one of the major problems affecting these youth. One key aspect of the problem that this article brings up is that runaway and homeless youth identified in various settings are at different risk for substance use. More specifically, “runaway and homeless youth identified on the streets may be at greater risk of substance use than those in shelters, and shelter youth may be more at risk than youth with previous, but not current. runaway or homeless experiences” (Greene, Ennett, Ringwalt). In conclusion, through studies, and statistics of different demographics and drug use, the authors examine why runaway and houseless youth are at a higher risk of drugs addiction, then other demographics.

Our second peer reviewed article we found was “Tripling of Methamphetamine/Amphetamine Use among Homeless and Marginally Housed Persons.” It was written by Moupali Das-Douglas, Grant Colfax, Andrew R. Moss, David R. Bangsberg, and Judith A. Hahn in December, 2007. This study was conducted three times in 1996-’97, 1999-2000, and lastly in 2003, studying 2,348 homeless or marginalized housed persons. From 1996 to 2003 current meth use (use in the last 30 days) in this population tripled. However, in people under 35 meth use quadrupled. One point that was made multiple times which we have not included very much in our project is the increased HIV infections from sharing the needles used to inject methamphetamine. In their study they found a fivefold increase in HIV infections. This can be caused by the sharing of needles, as well as the increase in sex work to help feed their addictions.

Both of these articles talked about the homeless population and the seemingly inevitable drug use that comes with it. The main differences is the first article, “Substance Use among Runaway and Homeless Youth in Three National Samples”, talks more about the drug use among homeless youth while the second article talks about all homeless persons. The second article also discusses HIV and infections due to meth use much more than the first article. Both of the articles still obviously state that meth use in the homeless population is a huge issue and is much too common in the homeless population, specifically youth.

Works Cited:

Das-Douglas, M., Colfax, G., Moss, A. R., Bangsberg, D. R., & Hahn, J. A. (2007). Tripling of Methamphetamine/Amphetamine Use among Homeless and Marginally Housed Persons, 1996–2003. Journal of Urban Health,85(2), 239-249. doi:10.1007/s11524-007-9249-4

Greene, J. M., Ennett, S. T., & Ringwalt, C. L. (1997). Substance use among runaway and homeless youth in three national samples. American Journal of Public Health,87(2), 229-235. doi:10.2105/ajph.87.2.229

Stakeholders and Interview

The issue of methamphetamine use in the 18-35 houseless population effects many more people than just the individuals addicted to the drug. It could be argued that everybody in the community is a stakeholder, however for the sake of being brief we will discuss a few main stakeholders. One of the specific stakeholders are the organizations and shelters that try to help these people. They see first hand the effects of the drug and how harmful it can be to the houseless community. The topic of drug use as well as the topic of homelessness can be very controversial ones. Many people believe that it is their fault and that the user should just work harder to fix the situation they are in, while many other people are sympathetic towards them. Another key stakeholder are city officials. City officials care a lot about this issue because they want to have a clean and safe city. They do not want to have a lot of houseless meth addicts in the city, nor do they want the waste that comes with it. The last key stakeholder is law enforcement and paramedics. These two organizations are able to see addiction problems first hand. When somebody has overdosed, the police and paramedics are often the first responders. Furthermore, the police specifically have to deal with more situations when people under the influence of meth are acting in a disorderly manner. Both the police and paramedics care about this issue because they too want to keep the streets safe and clean.

(We interviewed Neil, the Lead Counselor at Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in NE Portland. Due to anonymity for himself and residents, we were declined the opportunity to take pictures.)

Name/Position: Neil, Lead Counselor

“It was originally for men with only alcohol addictions. In the 1970’s the Salvation Army became an Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) that focused on more than alcohol addictions and skills training. Salvation army is a faith based social model with open admission. The ARC program helps rehabilitate men with addictions by having rather strict guidelines. We go by a more holistic approach; Mind, body and spirit. Some people have called this the toughest program in the state.

All guests must pass a UA to enter. If they can not we will send them to Hooper Detox center by the Moda Center. They must go to chapel regularly, go to 12 step meetings, and must see a recovery sponsor. Methamphetamine users need to be clean for about 3-4 days before they could pass a UA. Methamphetamine is the drug of destruction, and I say destruction because that’s what it does.

We have 119 beds, 90 current occupants, and 50-60 occupants are methamphetamine users, 70 to 80 percent are homeless or lived in places that were unfit for humans. Residents get up at 7 am. They must make their beds, and stay in good hygiene. They start work at 7:30 and work in the warehouse cleaning and sorting donated goods until 3:30pm. Some men get to work at the thrift stores to learn about retail. Residents have thanked us for giving them support and keeping them busy whereas other centers allow too much mediation and thinking time.”

-Neil, Lead Counselor at Salvation Army ARC

Transcript of Interview

What is the Salvation Army ARC Program and what is some background? “It was originally for men with only alcohol addictions.” In the “1970’s” the Salvation Army became an adult rehabilitation center that focused on more than alcohol addictions and skills training. “Skill training was not enough”. Salvation army is a “faith based social model” with “open admission”. The ARC program helps rehabilitate men with addictions by having rather strict guidelines. We go by a more “holistic approach. Mind, body and spirit.” “Some people have called this the toughest program in the state”

How many beds do you have? Do you find that methamphetamine is a more used drug? Was anyone here houseless?

“119 beds” “90 current occupants” “50-60 occupants are methamphetamine users” “70 to 80 percent are homeless or live in places that are habitable for humans.” “Methamphetamine is the drug of destruction, and I say destruction because that’s what it does.”

“Some residence have thanked us for giving them support and keeping them busy whereas other centers allow too much ‘mediation’ and ‘thinking’ time.”

“Some men get to work at the thrift stores to learn about retail.”

What is the structure you provide?

“Residents get up at 7 am. They must make their beds, and stay in good hygiene. They start work at 7:30 and work in the warehouse cleaning sorting donated goods till 3:30pm” “They get breaks and lunches”

“We offer anger management for those that need it.”

What are the rules of the program?

Must pass a UA to enter. “Methamphetamine users would need to be clean for about 3-4 days before they could pass a UA”, “Must go to chapel regularly”, “Must got to 12 step meetings” “Must see a recovery sponsor and we offer relapse prevention”

If someone doesn’t pass a UA what do you do?

“We can’t let them in. But we will let them come back as soon as they pass a UA”

“They need to detox first”

Where is a detox center?

“Hooper Detox near the Rose Garden.”

Are there certain ages, addictions, or demographics that you help?

“Only men”, “alcohol, marijuana, heroin, opioids, methamphetamine, and other drugs”, “Tends to be middle aged men, 30, 40, and 50’s” “70 to 80 percent are homeless or live in places that are not habitable for humans.”

Are there any centers for women?

“Closest Salvation Army for women is in Seattle.” “Since we have open beds, we are trying to figure out how to accommodate women at this center.” “There is a shelter called Women’s West in downtown for homeless women”

In addition to to helping men get “back on their feet” do you provide counselors or therapists?

“Yes. I am the lead counselor but we also have a PHD and intern counselors.”

“Some interns have come from George Fox, Multnomah University, PSU, and Linfield”

Do you see much success?

“We see people repeat the program, but usually it’s after 1 or 2 years of sober living. Sometime’s longer”

How long is the program?

“6-12 months”

If someone leaves early, will you let them back?

“It depends on each individual and their actions, and their will for change.”

How are you funded?

“We are donation based. The Salvation Army Thrift Stores fund our program. Our residences help process the donations.” “We do not get government funding.”

#salvation army

Deliverable 4: Podcast and Song

Podcast: http://medicalconfessions.com/causes-meth-mouth-methamphetamines/

The podcast our group chose is one from the Medical Confessions Podcast titled, What Causes Meth-mouth/Methamphetamines. The key points this podcast touches on are as follows: What is meth and what does it do? Next, this podcast speaks on the history of meth use throughout the country and the world. After that the podcast discusses the symptoms of meth, physical, mental, and emotional. Finally, it concludes by speaking on different reasons why people start using meth and also why it is such a hard addiction to break. It is important to note that although the individuals who speak on this podcast have done a lot of research and are experts on the topic, they are not doctors.

Our group chose the song We Shall Overcome by Nahko and Medicine for the People because it is a powerful piece of music that isn’t afraid to mention a multitude of social change issues. This song talks about the struggles we as a nation and also individuals are going through. Some of these issues are current and some are from the past. To name a few; racism, poverty, assault, environmental issues, oil controversy, sexism, war, government, gun control and addictions are all mentioned in this song. Although there are so many negative issues being brought to the surface during these few minutes of music, this song is filled with strength, power and urgency for change. It’s an inspiring song to listen to because even with the above mentioned social issues, the artists behind this piece say they are able to forgive. Many times they repeat the phrase “I remember, I remember, I remember, I forgive.” We think this line is incredibly powerful because true healing and change doesn’t exist until forgiveness has occurred. If we can forgive the past, we can move forward even stronger and overcome the obstacles the past has thrown at all of us. There are many songs in this world that highlight the social issues we are all going through, however, very few of them have a positive message intertwined. This song may be blunt and to the point, but it doesn’t leave the listener feeling hopeless. It will hopefully leave listeners with a feeling of empowerment, and knowledge that we can make change!

#whentheworldisindistress #alwaysremember #forgive #regrouprenew #keepthehope #changestartswithus

Opposing Views and New Insights

https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/matters-of-substance/february-2012/mythbusters/

One article we found was “Is Meth Really That Bad For You?” This article is taken out of Volume 22 of Matters of Substance magazine. This article discusses how methamphetamine affects the brain and the reasons why people crave it. Methamphetamine is a popular drug due to the massive amount of dopamine that is released which makes the user feel joy and like they can accomplish anything. The author states that the main danger of meth use is that it can slowly kill off the brain's dopamine receptors making you unable to release dopamine without the drug. However, the author then gives information about an experiment. They found that the amount of overall intelligence lost from long term and short term meth use was actually less than reported in many previous studies. Some people who had used the drug actually scored higher on the memory and focus tests, however this was just decided to be an anomaly. Overall, they still said meth is bad and would not recommend using it, but that many of the harms about the drug have been over exaggerated.

https://katu.com/news/investigators/we-have-a-massive-problem-experts-say-oregons-opioid-epidemic-continues

The second article we looked at is one from Katu News highlighting the opioid crisis. While this article agrees that there is an opioid crisis going on in Portland, it highlights both a different type of drug as well as a different demographic of people affected. For our own blog, we are looking at the Methamphetamine crisis as it affects the houseless population. In this article, it talks more about fentanyl as it affects teens. Fentanyl is a prescribed drug that is used to control severe pain and is stronger than morphine and/or heroin. One of the very first points made by the author is that Oregon has the fourth-highest percentage of teenage drug users nationwide. Another key point this article points out is how easy it is for teens to get Fentanyl stating that, "Children now can buy fentanyl on the dark web using bitcoins for currency” (Douglass, 2017), also pointing how easy it is for them to overdose saying that, " they can overdose in their own bedrooms on a substance that no one really knew about a couple of years ago"(Douglass, 2017). To conclude, this article highlights the massive drug crisis, specifically opioids, in Oregon. However, it argues that we should be focusing on the teenage abuse of fentanyl and heroin as the biggest problem in the fight against drugs in Oregon, as opposed to the Methamphetamine use in the houselessness population.

Between the methamphetamine and the opioid crisis it is a no brainer that more actions need to be taken in regards to both drug categories. If there was a larger focus on the opioid crisis we as a community could potentially prevent some people from slipping into the toxic cycle of drug use and potential houselessness. For our project though, we will keep a focus on methamphetamine because right now it is the most rampant drug in Portland, and it’s taking a myriad number of lives.

-Alex, Karly and Tony

truongzadi-blog

Police Brutality; Its History and An Action Taken

Deliverable #2

The history of police brutality is deeply rooted in systematic idea of the ‘other’. There will always be an ‘other’, whether this ‘other’ is Black, Latinx, Arab, individuals of the Muslim faith, so on so forth, the list continues. This creation of the ‘other’ in the United States has been around since the Pilgrims landed on this Native American soil. Seeing themselves as a holy people, the English ‘othered’ Natives, making them a category outside of their own. As ‘others’ Natives had no right to the English’s God given land. Since Natives had no rights, violence against them becomes justified. African-Americans weren’t even considered human, so their ‘otherness’ is quite clear. As time goes on and Natives are practically eradicated, African-Americans are eventually given ‘freedom’, and the Bill of Rights finally applies to them.

Now we get to policing. Being ‘othered’ for most of their history in the United States, narratives, often called stereotypes, regarding their character are created and popularized by White America. The first American blockbuster film, and the first film to be played at the White House, ‘The Birth of A Nation’, is a film that glorified the Ku-Klux-Klan, portraying Black men as criminals. Natives have been known as ‘savages’ ever since the Pilgrims stepped foot on the land. The US government needing a scapegoat for low wages and drugs, so they put the blame on the backs of members of the Latinx community. When all these negative connotations are applied to these people of color, them being put in cages or being under constant watch almost sounds valid.

This is when we reach the age of cell phones and internet where historical behavior is captured on film and put up for everyone to see. These are human beings of color, human beings with mental disabilities, and human beings who’ve done nothing but fit into the ‘other’ box, treated as such, by people who are paid to uphold the rules and laws of our society. What happens when the people who are supposed to uphold our laws break them? How do we keep them from breaking them? Well in Oregon, there aren’t many resources for the problem of abuse of power in law enforcement. There are always the local chapters of the Black Lives Matter movement and the NAACP and the Oregon Justice Resource Center. One nationwide organization that has made an effect on Portland Police is Campaign Zero. Through lobbying, volunteers of Campaign Zero here in Oregon were able to pass three bills to help end what is called ‘Broken Window Policing’. Campaign Zero explains it this way;

“A decades-long focus on policing minor crimes and activities - a practice called Broken Windows policing - has led to the decriminalization and over-policing of communities of color and excessive force in otherwise harmless situations. In 2014, police killed at least 287 people who were involved in minor offenses and harmless activities like sleeping in parks, possessing drugs, looking “suspicious” or having a mental health crisis. These activities are often symptoms of underlying issues of drug addiction, homelessness, and mental illness which should be treated by healthcare professionals and social workers rather than the police.” (Campaign Zero, 2015)

These bills require police officers to wear body cameras, adopt policy that makes profiling and discrimination of any kind not okay, requiring such complaints to be filed and looked over by a professional, and beginning on more community oriented policing.

References

Campaign Zero. (2015) End Broken Windows Policing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.joincampaignzero.org/brokenwindows

Krumer-Nevo, M., & Sidi, M. (2012). Writing Against Othering. Qualitative Inquiry, 18(4), 299-309.

psuaddictionproject-blog

Last school year I took a Policing In America course for my major. One of the things I was most interested to learn about was police brutality. Before, when I thought about police brutality, I thought of it as being a racial issue, which there is no doubt that it can be and has been in the past. However, as I went through the class I found that police brutality has often fluctuate in the United States, based on the political climate, and style of policing being used at different points in time. For example, during the time where we cracked down on crime, we (as a country) adopted a more aggressive police style which has carried over today.

One thing that is unique about the police in our country compared to others is how we have a more militaristic policing style. Officers wear tactical vests, carry firearms, and have militaristic training. By having our police like this, we are already setting an intense tone which I don’t believe should be the case. The idea behind the police is that people should feel safer when they are around. The reality of the situation is that for many people, when the police are around it makes them more nervous. For example, when you are driving and you see a cop on the road, or a cop is following you, do you get nervous? For many, the answer is yes. For me personally, when I see the police I tend to think that something bad has happened or is about to happen.

Police brutality is very much an ethical issue. It is an issue that law enforcement deals with on a daily basis, and a problem that needs to be fixed. Nowadays, like your group mentions, the police where body cams and civilians video tape their interactions with the police. The idea is that, the police will act in an ethical manner when they know they are being recorded. The problem with this is that it is only a temporary solution.

One way to help combat police brutality is by having police officers go through ethics courses. I also think that police departments should emphasize department meetings where they go over department regulations multiple times throughout the year. While this is just one piece in solving the issue of police brutality, I think that it would be a good start.

-Tony Hay

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Meth History and Organizations Working to Help

There is no question that methamphetamine is prevalent in the houselessness demographic, specifically “ 22 percent of all homeless people whose death was caused by a substance died from meth use” (Zielinski, 2018) . The important questions to ask are, where did the problem begin? And, How can we find a solution? In order to find a solution to the Methamphetamine epidemic, we must first understand the history behind this issue. To start, meth became popular in the US during the 2000’s despite Oregon implementing laws targeting meth production and trafficking. Examples of such Laws are the ban of certain chemicals to make it harder for meth producers to make. Furthermore, “In 2006 Oregon passed tough anti-meth laws. One measure banned sales of pseudoephedrine, a meth precursor, without a doctor’s prescription” (Johnson, 2018). “These laws were put into action early and nearly eliminated meth production in Oregon, but meth use did not stop, which is now at its height of popularity in Oregon” (Johnson, 2017). Law enforcement correlates the rise in meth use with the rise in cartel action between Mexico and the United States.

Addictions in general affect the houselessness population greatly. In an interview, a formerly houseless, meth addict named Brian Wagner says that he used meth to, “stay awake and warm during winter nights. It also suppressed his appetite, meaning he wouldn’t have to buy food” ( Zielinski, 2018). For portland, methamphetamine has hit the houselessness population hard. An annual study conducted by the Multnomah County shows that, “For the first time in the seven years the county’s collected this information, methamphetamine has surpassed opioids as the top cause of death among homeless people who died from a substance-related cause”( Zielinski, 2018).

In order to end the methamphetamine epidemic, other actions have been put into place. For example, in some areas where meth or heroin use is often more prevalent, you can find bathrooms that contain what are called sharps containers. These containers are made from hard plastic, and are used to safely dispose of hypodermic needles and other sharp medical instruments, such as IV catheters and disposable scalpels. Sharps containers may be single use which are disposed of with the waste inside, or reusable which are robotically emptied and sterilized before being returned for re-use. In utilizing sharps containers, the hope is that if one does abuse a drug, they can dispose of their needles safely. In addition to sharp containers, there are needle exchange programs run by Outside In, Multnomah County Syringe Exchange, and Portland People’s Outreach Project, that allow for drug users to access clean needs. There are also resource centers around the Portland metro area that offer help with addictions, detoxing and allow the houseless to have a warm nights sleep.

A wonderful organization that will dive more deeply into on a later blog is The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center. This organization is dedicated to the recovery of people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. The ARC center provides a place to stay, food, counseling, anger management if needed, along with providing work related resources to help addicts transfer back into the community.

With most of our focus being on taking care of the houseless there is one organization we want to point out that helps clean up the community. The Montavilla Initiative is a non profit organization that is devoted to maintaining a livable environment for our community. They frequently go around and clean up paraphernalia left behind by our houseless community. While it is not focused on direct elimination of methamphetamine use, their actions are still important because they focus on the aftermath of addictions. Picking up dirty needles is a needed job because if another meth user finds it and uses it, or a child steps on it, it could spread disease.

A a third organization we found was the Portland Rescue Mission. The Portland Rescue Mission is a ministry that was founded in 1949 and now includes a variety of services including homeless shelters, transitional help, and addiction recovery. They provide up to 900 meals a day 365 days a year, along with overnight and extended stay shelters given out by lottery. They also have free year long addiction recovery programs for men and women. This ministry is run completely from donors with no government funding and is still able to help thousands of homeless individuals and drug addicted individuals.

Although meth production has been slowed down the goal of many of these organizations is not to stop meth use in its tracks, but to give the resources needed for addicts to get help. While reducing the amount of meth on the streets is priority, it is important to realize we can not force individuals to change but we can at least give them resources and make their habits somewhat safer for them, our community, and our environment.

Works Cited

Get Help. (2018, February 01). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.portlandrescuemission.org/get-help/

Johnson, P. (2018, May 09). Meth's Stubborn Persistence in Oregon. Retrieved January 29, 2019, from https://www.drugrehab.com/2017/10/30/meths-stubborn-persistence-in-oregon/

Portland Adult Rehabilitation Center. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2019, from https://portlandarc.salvationarmy.org/

Programs. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2019, from https://www.montavilla.org/programs/

Syringe Services Program. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2019, from https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/DISEASESCONDITIONS/HIVSTDVIRALHEPATITIS/HIVPREVENTION/Pages/ssp.aspx

Zielinski, A., & Stenvick, B. (2018, November 8). The Second Wave of Portland's Meth Epidemic Hits Homeless Hardest. Retrieved from https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2018/11/08/24359798/the-second-wave-of-portlands-meth-epidemic-hits-homeless-hardestv

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The Effects of Food Waste in Portland

Food waste is defined as, “part of food loss and refers to discarding or alternative (non-food) use of food that is safe and nutritious for human consumption along the entire food supply chain, from primary production to end household consumer level” [1]. In America we currently waste between 30 to 40 percent of the food we produce [2]. Food waste affects every community across the United States, and Portland is no exception. Portland is a very fun spot for people across America and other countries to come explore the wonderful food scene we have to offer. With this said, with all the fun there are downsides. Businesses alone are responsible for 100,000 tons of food waste each year which is only 55% of Portland’s total food waste [3]. Now we have to wonder, what are some of the issues that come with such a large amount of food waste? Unnecessary food waste can lead to unnecessary hunger. If we were able to reduce how much we throw out we could donate the extra food to those who cannot afford enough food. Portland’s large homeless community would be greatly impacted by donations from a reduction in food waste. Secondly, if we reduce the amount we throw out we can reduce the amount we produce. The reduction of food production would benefit our environment by bringing down the amount of greenhouse gases that are associated with the production of food. As of 2016, about 9 percent of the United States greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture which does not include the use of transportation of these food products [4]. The Portland community prides itself on being “green,” so if we can help reduce our food waste we can also help the footprint we leave on the environment. Lastly, as a community built near our beautiful rivers we need to keep our water sources clean. Agriculture uses fertilizers that can easily contaminate the water used to hydrate the plants. The runoff from fields can contaminate surrounding creeks and rivers; Therefore, affecting the wild-life that thrives in our communities rivers and creeks [2]. Portland is currently working on reducing food waste with a focus on restaurants. In an article written by the city of Portland nine different chefs were interviewed to show ways they prevent food waste in their kitchens in hopes to spread the message. In this article chefs used methods such as the one used by HUB brewery, “[o]ur kitchen has always been very conscientious of food waste but we still felt that too many food scraps were making it into the compost. We pay close attention to food waste and track it where possible so we can be smart about purchasing” [5]. This shows that some restaurants are beginning to be conscious of their food waste, but I believe we still need to make a better effort. If we can strengthen our effort we can support our homeless community, better our environment, and keep our rivers clean.

References and Citations

[1] - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . 2014, www.fao.org/platform-food-loss-waste/food-waste/definition/en/.

[2] - Washington Post. (2018). The staggering environmental footprint of all the food that we just throw in the trash. N.p.: Chris Mooney. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/18/americans-waste-about-a-quarter-of-the-food-they-buy-and-the-environmental-consequences-are-staggering/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.675

[3] - Cook, Dan. Wasted. Energy and Environment, 2017, oregonbusiness.com/100best/companies/100bestlogos/item/18016-wasted?showall=1.

[4] - United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). Sources of Greenhouse Emissions. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

[5] - City of Portland. (2018). Tips from your peers: How 8 restaurants minimize food waste. Retrieved from https://www.portlandoregon.gov/sustainabilityatwork/article/679341

psuaddictionproject-blog

Fifty five percent of food waste coming from big business’s is outstanding! I would be curious to know if this waste is coming more from stores like Fred Meyer and Winco, or if more waste is coming from restaurants and bars. I assume it would be from grocery stores. A family member of mine works at Winco in the deli. At the end of every shift there is always food left over but no employees are allowed to take said food home, or give it away at a discounted price like (some) other stores do. Any left over food; cheese, bread, meat, salads, etc, all get thrown out. It is astonishing that a business would rather throw away food than allow employees or the public to have it at a discounted price. As your group mentioned, all this left over food could go to the houseless population or other people in need. It’s a shame to see big business’s care more about money than their community, or our environment. VooDoo doughnuts has a deal where you can buy a bucket ranging from 25-30 day old doughnuts for $8 dollars. During the day each doughnut probably costs around 3 or 4 dollars, but by selling these stale doughnuts they are able to make some profit while eliminating food waste. If a smaller venue can do that, I do not see why big companies can’t.

Imperfect Produce seems to be a rather popular initiative lately and seems to have the same goal in mind. They are helping to eliminate food waste by shipping ugly tomatoes to someone rather than letting them rot in the trash. I have never subscribed to that delivery service but I have always thought of trying it.

-Karly

Blog Deliverable #1

With a population of 632,309, Portland is the most populous city in Oregon and the third most populous city in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle and Vancouver (World Population review, 2018). As Katie Shepard writes in her article on the topic, it is methamphetamine that, “has remained the deadliest drug in Oregon” (Shepard, 2018). Furthermore, twice as many people died in Oregon from meth use in 2016 than from heroin overdoses. The number of deaths was three times as many as a decade before, in 2006. People who live on the streets of Portland describe meth as a, “currency, more valuable than cash” (Shepard, 2018). This has lead to a growing number of drug addictions, specifically methamphetamine addictions. The National Institute On Drug Abuse, defines addiction as, “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences”. This is a solid working definition of addiction that touches on the key aspects. One piece to add would be that drug seeking could be used more as a coping mechanism to deal with harsh living situations, or as a replacement drug for people with mental illness, rather than self enjoyment with no regards to the consequences.

While addiction is present across all cities in the United States, Portland is suffering from a massive methamphetamine crisis. Many demographics are affected by this crisis, however, one of the most important demographics to focus on in the fight against this crisis are our houseless population because, as mentioned above it is used as currency and is cheap to obtain. Houselessness is defined as an “individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” (NHCHC, 2019).

From 2012 to 2016 methamphetamine related fatalities increased by 150%, surpassing heroin which decreased by 20% in that same time period (Portland Oregon Gov, 2018). This increase in methamphetamine use is due to the ease of finding it and obtaining it for a much cheaper price. Methamphetamine addiction in the houselessness population is important because it can affect someone personally by keeping them from being able to obtain a job and have an income so that they won’t be houseless anymore. These addictions can also have negative impacts on family, friend, and community relationships. In addition to the social relationship issues, methamphetamine addictions can have a negative impact on our environment and community safety with the waste of needles strewn all over the city, as well an increase in theft and or violence. The problem of meth addicition in the houseless population is both a community and police bureau problem. On the community level, meth addiction leads to strewn needles across the city, it leads to more people on the streets unable to get off, and it can lead to an unsafe city. On the police side, they have to deal with potential overdoses, meth related crimes, and dealing with more people on the streets. Should the problem of methamphetamine addictions within the houselessness population remain unsolved, the social impacts will be that there is a chance of an increase of houseless people around the city, more drug overdoses, drug related deaths, and untreated or wrongly treated mental disease. Overall the influence of methamphetamine use will spread wider, and the safety and beauty of our community could decrease due to undesirable behaviors of some drug users, as well as the hazardous waste left behind.

Works Cited:

Drugs and Vice Division. (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2019 from https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/30560

NIDA Definition of Addiction. (n.d.). Retrieved January 22, 2019, from https://www.inspiremalibu.com/nida-defines-addiction/v

Portland Population. (2018-06-12). Retrieved 2019-01-22, from http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/portland/

Shepherd, K., Shepherd, K., About Katie Shepherd News, & Willamette Week. (2018, February 15). Twice as Many Oregonians Are Dying From Meth Than From Heroin, and the Fatalities Are Rising. Retrieved March 4, 2019, from https://www.wweek.com/news/courts/2018/02/15/twice-as-many-oregonians-are-dying-from-meth-than-from-heroin-and-the-fatalities-are-rising/

What is the Official Definition of Homelessness? (2019). Retrieved from https://www.nhchc.org/faq/official-definition-homelessness/

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