A police department in Michigan is thinking outside the box to tackle methamphetamine addiction, playfully saying users can bring the drug to the station and have it tested for Zika virus.
The Bath Township’s announcement warning of Zika-contaminated meth came in a Tuesday Facebook post accompanied by a showy “BREAKING NEWS” banner:
The post is a playful way of connecting with the public about seeking treatment for meth addiction, the department commented.
“While this is a light-hearted post, we do honestly hope that if anyone needs help with an addiction, no matter what kind, that they reach out for help.”
Though it was funny to some, others found the post less than humorous.
One commenter said, “drug addiction is a JOKE to your officers? How very unprofessional & apathetic of you to use social media to entertain yourselves; your peers must be very impressed. You are an embarrassment to the citizens you claim to be concerned about! #GrowUp!”
While the joke also went right over some people’s heads, “So you’re going to lock people up because they’ve become addicted to a substance you’ve failed to keep off the streets? Also, the virus would be killed because of the ignition go the meth to smoke.”
Bath Township Police responded to the criticism, “We want to make it very clear that we understand drug addiction is a very serious matter. Our post has successfully brought hundreds of people together in an open forum to discuss the issue and the post itself has reached over 150,000 people. Without it, this would not have happened.”
The post mirrors a similar offer made earlier this year by police in South Carolina, as reported by NBC.
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