Drug Rehab in Utah
Although the state of Utah has less substance abuse overall then the national average, one cannot assume that this means there aren’t many individuals seeking help for drug rehab in Utah. In fact cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana are major problems within Utah. They mainly come from the Mexican criminal organization located in the west coast and Mexico. The heroin found in Utah is the Mexican brown and the black tar. It has become a major concern for the authorities because heroin is more widely used than it was a few years ago.
Utah has recently created more laws that are more severe concerning meth labs. With the creation of these new laws and regulations, the seizing of meth labs by number from the year 1999 of 272 labs has gone to 7 labs in the year 2007. With many children populating the state of Utah, it is concerning that more and more women are becoming addicted to meth within the state. These women are so consumed with their meth addiction that the care of their children becomes an afterthought.
Further, there is some marijuana grown in some remote areas of the state.
According to addicted.org, in 2007 alone, there were over 200 arrests for marijuana possession in Utah. Also, they report that 10% of high school seniors use marijuana, and 1.7% of them use on school property.
Alcohol abuse is also a problem in Utah. The following statistics from the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health cite some insightful statistics:
- Alcohol-related car crashes kill about 67 Utahans each year, with some of those killed being innocent children who just happened to be on the same road as a dangerous drunk driver
- Approximately 28% of Utah adults aged 18-25 reported binge drinking within the past month
- Among Utah youth in grades 8, 10 and 12, alcohol use was reported more than twice as much as any other substance in 2007. Alcohol use among 12th graders is in fact higher than both cigarette and marijuana use combined. (www.dsamh.utah.gov)
It was also indicated that alcohol abuse is much higher among high school students than cigarette use and marijuana use.
The Utah Division of Substance abuse and Mental Health also reports that since 2000, prescription drugs such as OxyContin, fentanyl and methadone have led to more Utah overdose fatalities than heroin. Prescription drug abuse is a severe problem. R Gil Kerlikowske — director of the Federal Office of National Drug Control Policy — recently indicated, “Carbon County has the second-highest rate (of prescription drug abuse) in the country …with 42.9 deaths for every 100,000 residents.”
Utah drug rehabhas proven very effective for individuals seeking rehab within the state of Utah from many different addictions. Also, Utah drug rehabclients enjoy further success due to certain quality of life improvements as cited by the Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health. These include: less run-ins with police after completion of Utah drug rehab treatment (reduced by 76%) and stable employment (employment rises by 17% after treatment).