Governor Wants Money for Meth-Addicted Mothers

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) In addition to a big tax cut and a hefty gift for public schools, Governor Jon Huntsman Junior wants five million dollars to help meth-addicted mothers recover. Salt Lake City Meth Initiative Project Manager Marjean Searcy hopes the money will cut current waiting lists for treatment.

"So when people are ready to go into treatment, we often make them wait for a long period of time," says Searcy. "And if we don't have a place where the mother can go with her child, often times it forces a removal (of the child)."

According to the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, methamphetamine is the primary drug of choice in Utah, other than alcohol. And women are much more likely than men to use the drug. Searcy says the five-million dollar request in Huntsman's budget will help create more treatment options for women with children and make a dent in dwindling federal resources for dealing with substance abuse.

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