Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    • Home
    • Sedona News
    • Business Profiles
    • Opinion
    • Mind & Body
    • Arts
    • Elections
    • Gift Shop
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Home » Arizona experiencing devastating increase in methamphetamine
    Sedona

    Arizona experiencing devastating increase
    in methamphetamine

    September 14, 2020No Comments
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Reddit WhatsApp

    Yavapai County Attorney's OfficePrescott AZ (September 14, 2020) – Arizona is experiencing a devastating increase of sellers and users of methamphetamine due to increased production of the drug and declining costs, according to a new report just released by the Arizona Substance Abuse Partnership (ASAP). Between 2015 to 2019, the retail price of meth decreased 58% while during the same period, federal, state, and local law enforcement saw a 342% increase in methamphetamine seizures. Fatal overdoses involving methamphetamine have also risen.

    Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. The drug’s ability to rapidly release high levels of dopamine in reward areas of the brain creates physical and psychological dependence and can lead to a substance use disorder.

    Treatment programs in the state are also experiencing an increase in meth-related patients. Crossroads, Inc., for example, reports that 40% of all clients tested positive for methamphetamine upon admission into treatment. In 2019, the AZ Families First Program found that 36% of participants reported meth use within 30 days of start of program, second only to marijuana.

    For Arizona’s youth, there are indications that electronic cigarettes are being used as a delivery system for methamphetamine. According to the 2018 AYS data, use of e-cigarettes has increased across all grade levels since it was first assessed in 2016.

    “All this data combined presents an alarming trend for Arizona,” stated ASAP’s chair, Yavapai County Attorney Sheila Polk. “Accessibility, costs and lack of prevention education play a huge role in drug-use behaviors and methamphetamine addiction.”

    Sedona Gift Shop

    To that end, the report recommends several steps for the state including increased data sharing among agencies; a statewide campaign to raise awareness around methamphetamine; and flexibility in substance abuse prevention funding.

    “The good news,” says Polk, “is that the state just awarded funding to MATFORCE to oversee a statewide drug awareness campaign.” MATFORCE is the Yavapai County Substance Abuse Coalition.

    Merilee Fowler, the executive director for MATFORCE, stated, “I am excited for this opportunity to work with coalitions across Arizona. We know that substance abuse is never about just one drug. Ninety percent of adult substance use disorders are rooted in adolescent drug use. Preventing adolescent drug use significantly reduces the risk of developing later addiction.”

    The ASAP report can be found at: https://goyff.az.gov/sites/default/files/meeting-documents/materials/agenda_item_4_methamphetamine_in_arizona_1.pdf

    Comments are closed.


    The Bloody Machine
    By Tommy Acosta
    What is a life anyway? A single “life?” Is it nothing more than a collection of emotions and thoughts, reverberating pain and pleasure, hopes, dreams and fear? Are we merely meat; flesh and blood creations encapsulating what we believe is a soul? Or is a single life the microcosm and macrocosm of human life on earth, each one of us a unique representation of who we believe we are and the whole of humanity at once? We are born. We grow old. We die. Everything we experience is but a dream between those two points. Or are we manifestations of a Divine Creator, every one of us complete in the image that we were made? So, we are told. Read more→
    Recent Comments
    • JB on The Bloody Machine
    • JB on 2023 Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran’s Day Tribute in Camp Verde
    • Ellen Siepser on The Bloody Machine
    • Hey Sean on The Bloody Machine
    • JB on The Bloody Machine
    Categories
    © 2023 All rights reserved. Sedona.biz.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.