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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.
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign released a new report this week indicating that teens who use drugs are more likely to engage in violent and delinquent behavior and join gangs later on in life, pointing specifically to early marijuana use as a warning sign of gang involvement.
"Alcohol can trash your kid’s brain." That is the message newly wrapped garbage trucks from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County will bear as they travel throughout the community everyday. The effort is part of statewide campaign to educate the community about the dangerous effects that underage drinking can have on the developing brain—and marks the first time Salt Lake City area garbage trucks have been used to display drug abuse prevention messages.
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.
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.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
625 Slaters Lane Suite 300 Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel 1-800-54-CADCA Fax 703-706-0565
