The consequences of facing drug charges get talked about a lot in this blog. The topic is a big attention getter here in Tennessee because of high methamphetamine-related activity. If findings by the Associated Press are valid, it seems possible that those convicted of drug manufacturing could be saddled with picking up the tab for burn unit treatments for meth lab explosion victims.

The AP conducted a survey of hospitals in states where meth-related drug crimes are considered high and found that as many as one third of the patients treated in their burn units had suffered their injuries because of meth lab errors. Most patients were uninsured, racking up average hospital costs of $130,000.

Specifically of concern is the so-called shake-and-bake method of making the drug. It's relatively new and crude. It's cheaper than other processes, but it's also more dangerous because it involves combining unstable ingredients in ways that can lead to a sudden explosion. The result can be burned flesh, disfigured faces, blindness and sometimes death.

The AP survey polled hospitals in California, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Tennessee. It found that the high number of uninsured meth burn patients have cost taxpayers at least tens of millions of dollars. Some experts put the figure in the hundreds of millions and they claim those costs have contributed in some measure to decisions to close at least seven burn units over the past six years.

Considering the increasing pressure authorities are facing to crack down on illicit drug manufacturing and sales, is it very farfetched to think that restitution orders could become part of the penalties imposed to cover the costs associated with those burn victims?

Source: AP, USA Today, "Meth fills hospitals with burn patients," Jan. 23, 2012