Yes it could happen here and it shows the mentality of people affiliated with the meth situation that has spread across our country today. A good read on the matter "Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Time" by Nick Reding shows how small towns are destroyed from within by the problem.
Unfortunately I have not seen, or heard of, a solution to the problem. One might opine that there should be drug testing of applicants seeking public assistance but, as always, the political types that rely on their votes steps in and defends the users so why would we expect much of anything to change?