DRUG ABUSE FACTS IN KENTUCKY
Known as the “Bluegrass State,” Kentucky is full of green pastures and fertile soil. Kentucky enjoys having thoroughbred horses, horse racing and country music. Unfortunately, Kentucky also has one of the highest rates of drug abuse in the country. According to a recent survey by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Kentucky was one of the top ten states in several categories of drug use among persons age 12 and older. Kentucky ranked above the national average in:
• Past-year non-medical use of pain relievers
• Past-month use of illicit drugs other than marijuana
• Illicit drug dependence
• Rate of drug-induced deaths
722 people died as a direct consequence of drug use in Kentucky in 2007. In that same year, 853 died in auto accidents and 612 died from firearms. This shows the severity and widespread problem of drug abuse in Kentucky.
Opiates, including prescription medicines, were the most commonly abused drugs cited by primary drug treatment centers in Kentucky in 2010. Other major drugs abused, and cited as the reason for treatment, included marijuana, cocaine, stimulants, heroin, and tranquilizers. Of course, dozens of other substance abuse issues were also treated.
Substance Abuse Issues
Methamphetamine
In 2005, federal and state governments took steps to control the sale of pseudoephedrine, a primary ingredient in the production of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine lab seizures declined in the following years. However, meth lab seizures in Kentucky have climbed in recent years, increasing 138% from 2007 to 2009.
Methamphetamine is locally produced by users and other individuals who assemble equipment, obtain materials and ingredients, and “cook” methamphetamine.
Marijuana and Prescription Drugs
The state of Kentucky was the nation’s fourth largest illegal producer of domestic marijuana in 2009. Kentucky was also threatened by diverted prescription drugs obtained by traffickers and abusers from South Florida pain clinics. “Diversion,” or the acquisition and use of prescription drugs for purposes other than their intended use, includes pharmacy theft and “doctor shopping.” Drug trafficking organizations from Detroit and Columbus are responsible for much of the illegal prescription drug trade in Kentucky.
Sources
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2007–2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Retrieved from http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8state/Cover.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Vital Statistics Reports Volume 58, Number 19 for 2007. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_19.pdf
Kentucky Drug Control Update. Retrieved from http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/state_profile_-_kentucky.pdf
Treatment Episode Data Set, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from http://oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm
Treatment Episode Data Set, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from http://oas.samhsa.gov/dasis.htm
Resources
• Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky - http://www.healthy-ky.org/
• Mental Health America of Kentucky - http://www.mhaky.org/
• Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and
Intellectual Disabilities http://dbhdid.ky.gov/dbh/default.asp?sub2
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - http://www.samhsa.gov/
• Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy - http://odcp.ky.gov/
Obtain the strength to break your addiction at Transformations Treatment Center. Call (866) 211-5538 today!
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