September 29, 2005

Warner Robins, GA – Jim Rockefeller never had a family member with a drug abuse problem, but he’s seen plenty of families who have. Fortunately for them, he’s decided to do something about it.

 A former Chief Assistant at the Houston County District Attorney’s office in Perry, and now in his own practice at Rockefeller Law Center on Houston Lake Road in Warner Robins, the energetic, young attorney is the founder and president of Families Against Methamphetamine Abuse (FAMA), an organization dedicated to helping families cope with the rapidly-escalating abuse of illegal drugs, in particular, methamphetamine.  

Methamphetamine is a powerful synthetic drug that activates certain systems in the brain. Meth is highly-addictive and comes in forms that are snorted, swallowed, injected or smoked. Chemically related to -- but more potent than -- amphetamine, it is made in illegal home labs using popular, over-the-counter medications and other chemicals.  Street names for the drug run into the hundreds, but methamphetamine hydrochloride, with its chunky crystals that resemble ice, is referred to as “ice,” “crystal” or “glass.” It is inhaled by smoking. Oral or intranasal use of meth produces a sense of euphoria – a high, but not a rush. Users become addicted quickly and use it with increasing frequency. Over time, neuron cell endings are damaged and reduced levels of dopamine result in severe movement disorders that mirror Parkinson’s disease. Heart failure, brain damage and strokes are not uncommon among long-time meth users. In the short term, users can experience paranoia, aggressiveness, sleeplessness, confusion and convulsions. And it’s an expensive way of life. One ounce of meth (about 110 “hits”) costs about $1700 on the street.*

Jim Rockefeller has been a member of the Georgia Bar Association since 1995 and the Florida Bar Association since 1989. Over the past 16 years he has been involved with numerous successful litigation experiences in various states and venues. He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Miami/Dade County, Florida and at a medical malpractice insurance defense firm in Fort Lauderdale, as well as the Houston County District Attorney’s office in Perry where he was Chief Assistant. Before opening Rockefeller Law Center, he served as an Of Counsel attorney in the Warner Robins office of another firm.

Working in district attorneys’ offices, Rockefeller noted that meth use was reaching staggering levels with about 10% of all arrests involving crimes related to methamphetamine use, and 75% of all drug arrests being meth-related. Although increasing in most areas of the country, meth abuse was growing to epidemic proportions in Houston County, especially among young people. What’s more, within the last 3-4 years its label as a “redneck” drug has rapidly evolved to that of a “middle class” drug, with unlikely abusers being the neighbor across the street or the co-worker across the hall. Working with the desperate and bewildered families of the clients he represented brought Rockefeller to a sobering conclusion:

“I realized these families had no support or access to information about meth or how to deal with the problems it created. Even the churches were in the dark.”

Rockefeller felt a personal and professional obligation to help out those whose lives had been so negatively impacted. In April, 2004, the first meeting of FAMA was held with six or seven families in attendance. The group carved out a mission to provide prevention, support, and education to the community. Organizers have applied for 501(C) 3 tax-exempt status and one day hope FAMA will be a model used in other Georgia counties and beyond. Fund raising and an informational website are in the plans.

“We’ve made a positive impact,” says Rockefeller, who reports that FAMA’s membership has grown to include more than 75 people in its nearly 1 ½ year of existence.

“Families in pain are now able to come together and talk candidly in a place where they feel comfortable, a place where they feel they’re not being judged,” he said.