8/31/06
Hype on meth is epidemic
A new report from the Sentencing Project, a Washington, D.C.-based research and advocacy organization, demonstrates that the hype on methamphetamine is more epidemic than the drug.
"The Next Big Thing? Methamphetamine in the United States" acknowledges that meth abuse is dangerous and harmful to individuals and families but is still one of the rarest illegal drugs used. Using data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the National Institute on Justice (NIJ), and a survey of treatment options published in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, the report found that:
- Only 0.2 percent of Americans are regular users of methamphetamine -- four times as many use cocaine and 30 times as many use marijuana regularly.
- Rates of methamphetamine use have remained stable since 1999. The proportion of Americans who use methamphetamine on a monthly basis hovered in the range of 0.2-0.3 percent between 1999 and 2004.
- Rates of methamphetamine use by high school students who had ever used methamphetamine declined by 45 percent between 1999 and 2005, from 8.2 percent to 4.5 percent.
- Methamphetamine use remains a rare occurrence in most of the United States, but exhibits higher rates of use in selected areas. Only 5 percent of adult male arrestees tested positive for methamphetamine. In some West Coast cities -- Los Angeles, Portland, San Diego and San Jose -- positive responses for methamphetamine use among arrestees registered between 25-37 percent. In those cities, the overall rate of drug use did not rise between 1998 and 2003, suggesting that the increased use of methamphetamine replaced other drugs, particularly cocaine.
- Drug treatment is effective in combating methamphetamine addiction. Studies in 15 states have demonstrated significant effects of treatment in the areas of abstention, reduced arrests, employment, and other measures. Methamphetamine abuse has generally been shown to be as receptive to treatment as other addictive drugs.
Released after a year in which the media demonized methamphetamine users and the drug, the report strongly criticized the media for fueling public fears and knee-jerk driven legislative responses, including harsher sentences for methamphetamine offenses and prohibitions against the sale and purchase of certain cold medicines used to manufacture the drug. The report includes recommendations for a more factual and evidence-based approach to methamphetamine interdiction, including greater funding and reliance on drug treatment programs.
To read the full report, visit www.sentencingproject.org.