Methamphetamine

Prescription drug abuse was ranked among the top five problems facing community anti-drug coalitions in 2008, indicating that this continues to be a growing trend across the country. That’s according to CADCA’s 2008 Annual Survey of Coalitions, an annual survey of drug prevention community coalitions, which represents the only current, national database of community anti-drug coalitions.

Law enforcement officials in Carson City, Nev. have discovered a new kind of methamphetamine that they fear can be more attractive to young people—bright pink strawberry-flavored meth. The event was reported in the Jan. 29th issue of the Nevada Appeal.

The ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign is seeking donations of fully-produced advertising executions from organizations that have developed a methamphetamine prevention campaign on either a national or local level.

A recent study by the Health and Human Services Department showed that more than 1.6 million children live in a home where at least one parent abuses illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and prescription drugs. In an effort to address the challenges of children abandoned, neglected or abused by parents addicted to drugs, Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-CA/18th) introduced H.R. 1199, the Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Act of 2007 in the House. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced a similar bill in the Senate. In addition to these pieces of legislation, several other bills have been introduced in the Senate to address and prevent the problems associated with methamphetamine production and use. CADCA recently sent out an alert on these bills, which can be viewed at capwiz.com/cadca/home.

The Department of Health and Human Services´ Administration for Children and Families will award more than $20 million in grants that seek to improve the well-being of children of methamphetamine and other drug users, through the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program.

It isn´t just alcoholism that youth run the risk of developing if they start drinking at an early age. A survey in rural Nevada showed that youth who began drinking before the age of 10 also had a higher chance of using methamphetamine later on in life. Armed with that knowledge, the Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties, a CADCA member coalition, developed a comprehensive approach that combines alcohol and methamphetamine use prevention.

For coalition leaders in Navajo County, Ariz.—where methamphetamine abuse is the number one problem—the toughest challenge was not only keeping more youth from joining the ranks of meth users, it was getting the community to accept that it had a problem.

Crystal methamphetamine use among young adults in the United States is considerably higher than previous surveys indicate, according to new research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The study, published in the July issue of the journal Addiction, found 2.8 percent of young adults ages 18-26 reported the use of crystal methamphetamine in the past year during 2001-2002. This is higher than the annual prevalence of crystal methamphetamine use by young adults ages 19-28 of 1.4 percent reported by NIDA´s 2002 Monitoring the Future Survey.

One often overlooked consequence of methamphetamine use is ´meth mouth,´ a severe pattern of tooth decay that affects regular users of meth. This is a particular problem in prisons, where 40 percent of dental spending goes toward treating meth-ravaged teeth. It can also make it more difficult for people to reintegrate themselves in the community during the recovery process. Two new bills introduced by several lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the U.S. Senate are attempting to address this issue.

More than half a million young adults reported use in the past year of crystal meth in 2001-2002, according to a new nationally representative study. The study also found that meth users were more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as selling drugs and engaging in violence. <

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign launched its Anti-Meth Campaign this week in conjunction with National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month. The new campaign highlights the dangers associated with meth use´for the individual, families, and communities´and delivers a message of hope, with stories from people in recovery and community leaders who are making progress in the fight against meth. The effort includes advertising, news media outreach, and online resources.

A new nationwide survey examining the attitudes and perceptions that teens have about methamphetamine use found that while the majority see some risk in trying meth once or twice, 33 percent see only a slight or no risk in trying the drug.

A new report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy shows that Hispanic teen use of marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine currently outpaces White and African-American teen use. Research also indicates that while illicit drugs continue to be a problem for Hispanic youth, prescription drugs are emerging as a threat.

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is warning public health and safety leaders across the country about a dangerous new drug threat coming from Canada. Ecstasy laced with methamphetamine (meth) has been entering the United States illegal drug markets, particularly in northern border states. Intelligence reports indicate that once smuggled into the U.S., the meth-laced Ecstasy is then being distributed throughout the country.