San Diego No Longer Meth Capital of the World
Almost every geographical area is plagued with the scourge of meth abuse and addiction is a self professed “meth capital of the world”. Well San Diego has officially been labeled and it’s not self professed. San Diego has been saddled with a meth problem for decades and government agencies from all levels witnessed the devastation first hand. Methamphetamine spread like wild fire throughout San Diego County.
Methamphetamine began is rapid ascent as the areas number drug of concern in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Colombian drug cartels were shipping cocaine over by the billions of dollars and met their demise, all but stopping cocaine shipments into the country. Mexican drug cartels soon rose in power while holding the market on methamphetamine production.
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors formed The Methamphetamine Strike Force formed in 1996 in an effort to curb the escalating problem. This group is composed of local, state and federal organization and agencies from public health, law enforcement, judiciary, education and drug rehabilitation treatment programs.
Positive outcomes result from the efforts, with 5 out of 6 meth abuse indicators declining dramatically. Methamphetamine continues to be a major problem but these results show a bright new beginning. With the close proximity to Mexico and being the first stop in shipments throughout the US methamphetamine remains inexpensive. Still officials see hope with these latest results.
Indicators show:
• Meth deaths are down 43%
• Meth addiction treatment admissions dropped 17%
• Arrestees testing positive for meth declined 41%
• Overall arrests for meth sales and possession were reduced 52%
• Meth lab cleanup and seizures were nearly cut in half and down 39%
• Emergency room visits remained constant at 2,250 during this time.
Billions of dollars are spent each year fighting the meth epidemic across the country, tens of millions on San Diego County alone. Meth addicts entering treatment cost area taxpayers ,000 a month. The efforts made are having positive outcomes.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report 12.6 million people 12 or older have used meth at least once. Studies show 95% of those will use the drug again. Meth addiction strikes every gender although meth abuse among women is rising sharply. If you know someone experimenting with or possibly addicted to meth please contact the nearest San Diego drug rehabilitation or addiction treatment program.
Robert Otis is an addiction counselor experienced in the field of drug and alcohol addiction treatment and works to help educate people about the danger of substance abuse. He writes articles about issues regarding San Diego drug rehabilitation and addiction treatment.
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