Mo. Woman Allegedly Gives Crack to Son, 4, to calm him down

[kuozzman]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=6&u=/ap/20050121/ap_on_re_us/preschooler_crack

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A mother has been arrested on charges that she gave crack to her 4-year-old son to "calm him down."

Michelle R. Shelton, 32, of Kansas City, was arrested Thursday on a child endangerment charge. Police said the boy did not suffer any obvious injuries from taking the highly addictive drug. He remains in state custody.

Police first began investigating Shelton a year ago when officers said they saw her escorting drug users into the apartment complex where she and her son lived. Police said some residents at the complex told investigators Shelton sometimes gave the boy crack cocaine to "calm him down."

[musette_sf]

1. Of course this woman's behavior is disgusting

but in the larger picture, how much different is this than Bu$hCo deciding whether your kids need Ritalin? (same net effect)

[seriousstan]

6. I blame the public schools for the vast majority of false ADD drugs.

I can't believe anyone can find a "but" in this story. Why would you try to belittle this criminal act?

[musette_sf]

7. I'm not belittling the act

at least I don't think I am. I'm comparing a horrid crime, to what Bu$hCo wants to do to our children under "law". Meaning that I think Bu$hCo is as horrid as this woman. If not worse, because she is committing a crime, where Bu$hCo wants to make a similar crime into law.

ADD drugs are amphetimines, plain and simple, and in that matter not much different from cocaine and its derivatives. Same net effect.

What this woman did to an innocent child is hideous. The fact that Bu$hCo wishes to do the same thing to America's children, under the guise of some so-called "mental health" initiative, bears comparison.

[American Tragedy]

9. Many people are legitimately prescribed amphetamines

much as people are given morphine and its derivatives as treatment for pain. It's not necessarily malevolent.

On edit: I am referring specifically to stimulants used to treat attention deficit and improve concentration, or for narcolepsy, not the illicit drugs that are the main subject of the thread. Obviously giving cocaine to a child or anybody else is extremely irresponsible and dangerous!

[lowreed]

16. Just as bad IMHO.

[musette_sf]

17. I don't know but

I think it's pretty malevolent to drug a child for behavioral reasons, in many cases. I am concerned with the increasing practice, soon (possibly) to be legislated for all US children, of evaluating children who are not completely passive and obedient, as "victims" of some "disease" that barely existed 20 years ago.

Legally, these children are given amphetamines, to control their behavior. When a looney takes it upon herself to self-medicate her own child similarly, I think it is time to look at what we, as a society, are willing to tolerate in "legal" drug pushing.

What do you think we are going to reap in 20 years, with all these speed-addicted children?

[American Tragedy]

19. Well, would you consider this scenario?

Let's say you have a quiet, well-mannered, very bright child who doesn't cause trouble in class, but is hopelessly inattentive and unfocused. He or she loves to learn and research, and engages in favored intellectual pursuits every day for their own enjoyment, but can't seem to concentrate at all on school assignments or complete anything they undertake. This problem promises to haunt them into adulthood and undermine their future aspirations. Surely, if a substance like Adderall can help them perform academically and improve their life, it is worthwhile?

[musette_sf]

21. No!!!

You assume that drugging a child such as the one you describe, in order to get them to pass tests, will "improve their life". I don't agree with that assumption.

I believe that drugging children to get them to pass tests is all part of the No Curiosity Left Alive initiative, AKA "No Child Left Behind".

The child you described sounds very much like the way my husband was as a child, as he tells me. I don't think drugging a creative person to improve their test performance is worthwhile in any way. Everyone learns differently. What to you may be "haunting" and "undermining", may also be how someone brings a work of great value alive.

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. The bigger concern, IMO, is

what options did this mom not have to get help for her child or herself? It sounds like the kid did have some behavioral problems or maybe the mom needed help getting off drugs as well as parenting classes.

I teach special ed in KCMO. This kid could end up in my class in a few years so yes, this story concerns me a lot. But what those of you who don't live here may not realize is that there are few options for the poor in this community to find health care for their children. Currently, a kid on medicaid has to wait 6 months to see a psychologist or child psychiatrist in this city who accepts medicaid. There is only ONE dentist in the whole county who accepts pediatric medicaid patients. Most of my 10 and 11 year old students have never been to the dentist.

So while I would like to choke this mother, I have to sympathize with her if she had tried to get help for her child in KCMO. We do a lousy job of preventing horror stories like this.

[sweetbutterfly]

10. no buts about it.

Sometimes it's not Bush's fault.

[musette_sf]

14. never said it was

just making a salient comparison.

enjoy your stay!

[leesa]

2. Not only abusive, but the wrong drug choice.

I hope he finds a better parent/home.

[Sandpiper]

3. The Pharmaceutical Companies are Outraged

That someone was cutting in on their turf.

[TheDebbieDee]

4. LOL, Sandpiper!

[MrSlayer]

5. Crack to calm you down. That's new.

This friggin imbecile doesn't even know what the drug she is addicted to does. Throw her in prison and give the kid to a decent person.

[Samurai_Writer]

8. Amphetamines and speed...

DO calm down children, especially hyperactive children. But giving crack to any kid, much less a 4 year old, is disgusting.

[LeighAnn]

11. Crack Kills

[TahitiNut]

12. Did it work?

:silly:

[mordarlar]

13. I am going to vomit

[pippin]

15. Rash of Stories Mothers

whose actions can only be desribed as appalling: the mother who chopped off the arms of her baby, the one in Colorado who had sex and drug parties because she wanted to be popular and now this one. Can someone explain what's happening? :-(

[musette_sf]

18. Cognitive Dissonance.

War = Peace
Freedom = Slavery
Mission Accomplished = Up To Your Ass In Alligators
Moral Values = Kill 'Em All And Let G-d Sort 'Em Out

[TankLV]

22. Boy did I read that wrong! I thought of an entirely different subject!

And it didn't have a thing to do with drugs!

I know, I'm bad.

[jayctravis]

23. Let's hope this doesn't at all parallel

posts I've read on here about mandatory psychological screenings the government would do, purportedly to create customers for highly addictive and expensive drugs manufactured by the pharmaceutical companies.

What musette_sf said, essentially.

[PurityOfEssence]

24. Idiot. Everyone knows you're supposed to calm kids down with smack

At least OxyContin.