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| 19 September 1999 Meth Deaths Down Nearly 30 Percent Three years after its pledge to halt the spread of meth in San Diego County, the Methamphetamine Strike Force is cautiously celebrating important strides in the fight against the highly addictive stimulant. In its annual report card presented to the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors, the Strike Force interpreted a number of indicators which track the severity of meth use countywide. Of those indicators, meth-related deaths declined 29 percent in 1998, reaching a low of 110 deaths, according to county statistics. The availability of methamphetamine, as reported by those arrested for meth-related crimes, also was down significantly, while the number of meth-related emergency room mentions was up, according to county statistics. Using a four-strategy approach toward meth abatement, the Strike Force focuses its efforts on prevention, intervention, interdiction, and treatment. The alliance has been hailed by the United States Department of Justice and is believed to be the first of its kind nationwide. County leaders credit much of the encouraging news to the combined efforts of the more than 70 participants which represent the Strike Force. The multilateral effort includes drug treatment providers, judicial leaders, policy makers, community outreach groups, and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. "The Strike Force's comprehensive effort to get meth off our streets is working," said San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob who initiated the Strike Force in 1996. "These encouraging figures show progress on all fronts. We are preventing people from using meth. We are helping users kick the meth habit and we are punishing those who make and sell meth. You better believe we're going to keep it up." Strike Force officials are crediting the impressive drop in county meth-related deaths to recently expanded drug rehabilitation options. "Over the last three years the Strike Force has been working diligently to expand treatment capacity," said Dr. Robert K. Ross, Director of the County's Health and Human Services Agency. "The number of treatment slots for youth increased from 300 to 6,000 over the last three years while nearly 200 adult residential treatment beds were added in 1998," he said. "We've also sustained our media efforts to raise public awareness about the dangers of methamphetamine," Ross continued. "Today, we recognize that our hard work is paying off. We believe more people are recognizing the need to seek medical intervention and more treatment options are available to them." Strike Force officials claim that a prime example of this surge in medical intervention is a steady rise in the number of meth-related emergency room admissions. The number of people visiting county emergency rooms for meth-related problems increased nearly 40 percent from 1995 to 1997. The latest county figures estimate that some 1,900 people were admitted to emergency rooms for meth-related causes in 1997. "We've been effective in spreading the word about the dangers of the drug and we must continue," said Dr. Michael Sise, Director of Trauma at Scripps Mercy Hospital. "While our county's emergency rooms are experiencing more people seeking help for their addictions, meth continues to play a recurring role in cases of vehicle accidents, assaults, overdoses, and batteries." Methamphetamine retained its dubious title as the highest single drug of choice among lawbreakers in San Diego County in 1998. However, individuals arrested for meth-related crimes reported the drug was harder to get than in previous years, according to the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) study conducted by the San Diego Association of Governments. "We're not surprised that lawbreakers say it's more difficult to get the drug," said Jack Drown, Undersheriff for the county and co-chair of the Meth Strike Force. "We believe meth manufacturers have been seriously hindered by county and city ordinances limiting the sale of products which contain ingredients used to cook meth." "Our gratitude goes out to conscientious pharmacy and drug store owners who adhere to our three package law," Drown said. "We have reason to believe that their efforts coupled with the continuing efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement have significantly reduced the availability of meth on our streets." Drown added that California Governor Gray Davis recently signed into law a statewide precursory chemical bill which adopts the same restrictions as San Diego County. |
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