Dr. Steven Simerville revealed that 7-10% of babies born in his hospital test positive for THC at birth. He’s the head of pediatrics at a hospital in Pueblo, Colorado, where many mothers are using marijuana. THC in breast milk poses a risk to babies’ developing brains. For this reason, one hospital in Colorado no longer recommends breast feeding.
Against all Obstacles, We Must Keep the Mother – Child Bond
Newborn infants need to be with their mothers for their security and well-being. Newborns instantly turn to the mom’s voice and respond to her touch. it’s not possible for fathers or grandparents to sooth in the same way. The bond is crucial to a baby’s mental and emotional development. Furthermore, the World Health Organization recommends breast-feeding for the first two years of life.
Mothers of newborns, regardless of their addictions, should not be forced away from their babies. Even mothers who are in jail should not be separated from their infants and toddlers.
Last week in New Hampshire, Hope on Haven Hill opened for eight mothers struggling to overcome opioid addiction. There are at least two other such group homes in New Hampshire. There’s a need for more places like Haven Hill to support mothers and encourage them to get off of drugs.
National policy should do everything to stop maternal substance abuse in its track and to keep moms with their children. Drugged babies may grow up to have substance abuse issues. They may have difficulties in behavior and learning.
It’s a sad day in the United States when preventable drug overdose deaths kill more than 50,000 people a year. Deaths from misuse of legal and illegal drugs outnumber traffic fatalities, the next biggest cause of accidental deaths.
The Christmas carol is poignant – reminder of Christmas, and beyond. “What child is this, who, laid to rest …” the carol begins. “Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, while shepherds watch are keeping?” it continues. The stanza ends, “Haste, haste ….” Lovely, lilting, full of promise – like the birth of a child. Here, a special child – but also every child.
In a season of joy, it is a message is joy. But the mind wanders, also to our mortal world. New numbers on drug addiction and drugged driving death, so many lost souls – mitigate the joy. They caught me off guard this week. My brother, a high school teacher, shared with me the loss of another student, another fatal crash, as drugged driving numbers rise. What is the season for heartbroken parents – but a season of loss? Each year, upwards of 100,000 parents lose a child to drug abuse.
What child is this? It is America’s child, and America’s childhood. How is it that we have, collectively, forgotten to keep watch over those entrusted to our watch – especially from high office? Last year, 47,055 Americans, most of them young, were lost to drug abuse – just statistics now. Why?
In part, because so many Americans have heard a mixed message from their leaders – with devastating effects. Led to believe drugs are “recreation,” something not different from beer or wine, kids try and soon die. Synthetic opioids, heroin, cocaine, high potency marijuana – and then a trip to the ER, or not even, on the way to a mortuary. Numbers do not lie.
Drugged driving is now another epidemic. Drivers and helpless passengers are all at risk, along with everyone on the road. Near home, not long ago, several kids died in a terrible car crash. They missed a bend and hit a tree. The sister of a child known to my son was almost in that car – but courageously declined the ride. She knew the driver was compromised. That decision saved her life. Unfortunately, the searing truth caught others off guard. Drugged driving is death on wheels, period. Drug legalization is the unabashed promoter of that death. So, where are the shepherds? Where are the outspoken leaders, who know this – but are silent?
What child is this, who starts with marijuana, soon is addicted, ends overdosing on opiates or as a roadside cross? What child is this, who needed knowledge from someone they trust – but get misinformation? What child is this, who is force-fed popular lies, that drug abuse is “recreation?”
And what child is this, “greeted by angels,” who was forsaken here – by knowing leaders for political advantage? “Laid to rest” by parents’ inconsolable hands? Where were leaders, a thoughtful president, governor, congressman, legislator, mayor? How could we, in a blink, give up 50,000 souls – this year, again? Silence is not just holy – it can also be complicit. Permitting legal expansion of drug abuse, legalized money laundering, an insidious tax grab and a Federal blind eye – comes at the expense of young lives. That is the truth.
Needed in this season of change are new national and community leaders, who are unafraid to say: Do not compromise the future. Do not risk everything for nothing. Do not break faith with yourself, or those counting on you.
The mind wanders … from a Christmas carol to those not here to celebrate. To parents, siblings, friends and teachers sadly forced to ask “what if…” And bigger questions: What if the legalization pabulum and knowing disinformation were stopped? What if drugs that addict and kill were less available? What if policy indifference turned to saving young lives, not putting them at risk?
Said Henry David Thoreau, every child is an “empire.” But today, these empires are falling fast. The risk inherent in our indifference, disinformation, disregard for truth, and treating death as recreation. Addiction’s darkness comes on fast. Life soon narrows, ambitions die, dependence rises, users are boxed in, relationships and functions degraded, nightmares start and then the awful, big question – who cares?
Edvard Munch’s Death in the Sickroom, 1895, is still relevant today with the number of families watching their children hopelessly addicted or dying. Top image: Munch’s The Day After
These days, few seem to – not the president, Congress, many state “leaders.” They just go along. Meantime, more families are drained and left alone – victims of widening drug abuse, drugged driving, drug-related crime, and life-changing addictions. The Trump team has a chance to say: Enough, experiment over. That would help American families stop grieving, and save kids from this unparalleled dance with false information and societal indifference. That would be leadership – and long overdue. So, pull the Drug Czar back to Cabinet rank, put Federal resources and smart people on enforcing the law, and educate the country.
“What child is this?” It is America’s child. With new hope and real leadership – may we have no more compromises with evil, but truth spoken to power, and power to people. Let us stand watch, shepherds for young America. “Haste, haste …” in this and all seasons. There is a resolution for the new year.
Robert Charles is a columnist for Town Hall Magazine. He also wrote Return the Drug Czar to Cabinet. Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement under George W. Bush, former Naval Intelligence Officer and litigator, who served in the Reagan and Bush 41 White Houses. He wrote the book “Narcotics and Terrorism,” and writes widely on national security and law.
Can Other States Prevent Deaths Like those in Washington?
Washington – not Colorado – was the first state to legalize weed on December 5, 2012, exactly four years ago. Within a few weeks, five people died—probably only because marijuana was now legal. California and Massachusetts have not figured out how to measure stoned drivers. Will other states that now allow pot possession face a rapid rise of deaths too?
On the morning pot was legalized, two intruders broke into the Puyallup home of a large marijuana grower. Robbery was the motive, of course. The owner shot and killed the masked men immediately. So much for the claim that legalization will “free up law enforcement for more serious crimes.” A few weeks ago, there was a similar situation in Denver, when a homeowner shot and killed a 15-year-old stealing pot from his yard.
On December 17, 2012, Scotty Rowles struck and killed pedestrian Donald Collins in Vancouver, Washington. Rowles was not speeding, but admitted to smoking a bowl of marijuana before driving. He spent six months in jail and is now on probation. (Punishments for stoned driving in Washington aren’t strong enough to discourage it.)
Tyler Martel’s accident on December 7, 2012 was more deadly. Martel left his parents’ house at 10:30 p.m. By 3:45 a.m., the police came to the parents’ home and said that he had died. His girlfriend, his soon-to-be fiancé, had been airlifted to Harborview Hospital Center. Stephanie Nicole Profitt underwent many surgeries and fought to regain her life. Her struggle ended in death on January 19, 2013.
Don’t Substitute One Dangerous Addiction for Another
Stoned driving caused three of these deaths. Marijuana greed and jealousy inspired the shooting when two men died. Perhaps the worst news of all is that Tyler Martel, 27, who died instantly had survived and conquered Oxycodone addiction. He had gone through rehab, had a job and was building a new life. At a party on that fateful night, he declined all invitations to drink. But marijuana was now legal, and he smoked marijuana with his brother before he drove. If the state hadn’t legalized marijuana, and otherwise endorsed its use, perhaps Tyler and Stephanie would be alive today.
When people suggest that substituting opiate pain pill abuse with marijuana, remember what happened to Tyler Martel and Stephanie Proffitt. They were not the only victims. Timothy Lang came to Profitt’s funeral in a wheelchair. He was one of the other drivers, and is thankful to the emergency workers who saved life.
Martel’s mother Patrice is on a mission to warn students of impaired driving. It is counter-intuitive to suggest that any addictive substance should substitute for another addictive substance. It’s a case where someone tried it and we know the results.
Colorado gets more publicity than Washington because many anti-pot activists live in Colorado. The Seattle press usually covers up the downside of pot. Colorado opened commercial marijuana six months ahead of Washington, and we’ve heard more about deaths from edibles in Colorado.
One year ago, 16-year-old boy Somalian immigrant Hamza Warsame — died immediately after smoking weed. He jumped off a balcony and fell six stories to his death in Seattle.
How do we help children with difficult childhoods grow into adulthood without becoming drug users? Is healing possible without using medicine? Can our health system devise ways to treat chronic pain and illness without using marijuana or pharmaceutical drugs?
Those who grow up in difficult, traumatic situations – those whose bodies hold a painful past of abuse, shock or emotional pain – respond to opioid pain pills differently from the way non-traumatized people do. They may be primed for opioid pill addiction more than others, according to Jon Daily of Recovery Happens, Sacramento. Furthermore, emotional trauma during childhood also leads to hypertension and a host of chronic illnesses.
Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia now recognize Adverse Childhood Experiences as part of public health. Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs are considered contributing factors to depression and a host of chronic diseases. Experts use 10 paradigms for testing childhood trauma. A score of 4 or more ACEs makes a person 460 percent more likely to suffer from depression. A score of 6 or more takes 20 years off life. Adults with high ACE scores are susceptible to chronic diseases that are rare in those who do not have ACEs.
Childhood Disrupted and The Body Keeps the Score are two excellent books for understanding childhood trauma and its relationship to pain and illness.
The death of a parent, divorce, family drug abuse, physical and sexual abuse are among the events that can be counted as ACEs. These traumas are singled out because of their unexpected and unpredictable nature. Severe bullying, excessive parental criticism are included, as well as living in a violent neighborhood. Extreme poverty also creates stressful situations which can be compounded by abuse and the other problems.
Healing Chronic Disease Through Mind-Body Solutions
There’s good news. Psychology, Psychiatry and the medical field can lead the way for overcomimg both disease and emotional garbage. Understanding and applying the mind-body connection can work miracles without medicine. Several notable scholars have led the way. Francine Shapiro’s Getting Past Your Past and Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score provide excellent explanations and understanding. Books by Daniel Siegel and Peter Levine offer therapeutic keys to healing.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa wrote one of the most straightforward explanations of healing ACEs in her new book. Childhood Disrupted explains the causes of trauma in childhood and how to heal it. In another book, The Last Best Cure, she describes her own healing from two debilitating auto-immune diseases. (Nakazawa experienced the sudden traumatic death of her father when she was twelve. While she outwardly coped, her body suffered deeply.) A science journalist, Nakazawa writes for the general public.
