cannabisnews.com: Drug Abuse in Seattle Area is Town Hall Meeting Drug Abuse in Seattle Area is Town Hall Meeting Posted by FoM on November 02, 1999 at 11:36:14 PT By Carol Smith, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer The incidence of drug abuse in Seattle and surrounding areas has prompted the National Institute on Drug Abuse to sponsor a Town Meeting in Seattle next week to discuss the latest trends and treatments for addiction. The institute, which is one of the National Institutes of Health, has conducted similar town meetings in other urban areas. Seattle is one of 21 metropolitan areas the institute has been tracking."We do have a significant problem," said Norma Jaeger, chief of treatment and rehabilitation for the Division of Mental Health and Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services in King County."In King County, heroin is a major concern. And we're significantly concerned about an increase in marijuana use in young people," she said.Methamphetamine use is also growing, although primarily in smaller communities outside Seattle.However, King County's problems are similar to those in other urban areas, she said.Washington has a slightly lower rate of alcohol-related deaths, compared with the national average and a slightly higher rate of deaths related to other drug use, said Fred Garcia, chief of the Office of Program Services of the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse in the Department of Social and Health Services. "But for the most part, it's pretty much in line with the rest of the country."There are a few pockets of concern, however.According to the June 1999 NIDA report of drug abuse in 21 cities, Seattle was one of the areas reporting an increase in young heroin users.Also in Seattle, deaths from opiates other than heroin (such as codeine) nearly doubled between 1997 and 1998 from 1.5 to 2.6 per 100,000.Other drug use is on the rise as well, Jaeger said.Anecdotal reports indicate that ecstasy use is increasing, and there have been a growing number of anecdotal accounts of overdoses related to the club drug GHB (gamma-hydroxybutrate).About 91 percent of drug-related deaths involve multiple substances, which is also true in other major metropolitan areas, Jaeger said.The report also found that 57 percent of women and 36 percent of men arrested in Seattle test positive for cocaine, a finding that is typical of urban areas.The town meeting, which is open to the public, will be Nov. 10th from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel Seattle Airport. Cost is $25."We know from research that drug abuse is a preventable behavior, and drug addiction is a treatable illness," said NIDA Director Dr. Alan Leshner, who will speak at the meeting. "One of NIDA's most important goals is to help the public better understand the nature of addiction and the means to prevent and treat it."Seattle Mayor Paul Schell; King County Executive Ron Sims; Lt. Governor Brad Owen; U.S. Rep. James McDermott; Ken Stark, director of the Division of Substance Abuse Services; and University of Washington researchers are scheduled to participate.For more information, see NIDA's home page at:http://www.drugabuse.gov/Tuesday, November 2, 1999P-I reporter Carol Smith can be reached at: 206-448-8070 or carolsmith seattle-pi.com END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by observer on November 02, 1999 at 20:55:51 PT re: Huhh?? Good question! I think the answer depends on who is asking, or why the question was asked. If it is a matter of legalization, if one of those evil legalizers is asking (they want to restore to adult Americans rights they previously held!) ... if it is someone like that, then the answer is, "Yes!" we're winning the war! Look how much this or that has dropped!But if it is a question concerning budgets, or a question of additional extra-constitutional powers for the police or state (i.e. the politicians who are "doing something" and "getting tough" about the "emergency" and "crisis") ... if it means `supporting our law enforcement community', then, uh, we've got a long way to go before we "win" the "war". (What? McCaffery says it isn't a "war" this week?) After all, we can't "surrender" to the "drug lords", or send up the "white flag" and admit "defeat" (or that we were wrong), now can we? Drug Reform Coordination Network [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Doc-Hawk on November 02, 1999 at 15:11:12 PT: Huhh?? Didn't McCzar just tell us drug use was down and we were winning the (oh please don't call it a war) War on Drugs?Help us out "observer". WarOnSomeDrugs [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by observer on November 02, 1999 at 14:27:29 PT ''marijuana use in young people'' > Division of Mental Health and Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services: "In King County, heroin is a major concern. And we're significantly concerned about an increase in marijuana use in young people," she said.Oh. I thought ratcheting up the harshness of the marijuana laws and locking up ever more of the parents of those "young people" was supposed to take care of everything. I guess they'll just have to make the laws even more harsh. Yeah, that's the ticket. And the police-prosecutor is all or it, too.--- Last month use of cannabis (marijuana) by high school seniors: 18.1% in the Netherlands (1996); 23.7% in the U.S. (1997). (Sources: The Trimbos Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Monitoring the Future Survey, University of Michigan and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy) Any lifetime use (prevalence) of cannabis by older teens (1994): 30% in the Netherlands; 38% in the U.S. (Sources: Center for Drug Research, University of Amsterdam; Monitoring the Future Survey, University of Michigan and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy) Recent (last month) use of cannabis by 15 year olds (in 1995): 15% in the Netherlands; 16% in the U.S.; 24% in the U.K. (Sources: Trimbos Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Monitoring the Future Survey, University of Michigan and White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; Council of Europe, ESPAD Report) Any lifetime use of cannabis by 15 year olds (in 1995): 29% in the Netherlands; 34% in the U.S.; 41% in the U.K. (Sources: Netherlands Institute of Health and Addiction, U.S. National Institute for Drug Abuse; Council of Europe, ESPAD Report) from: DRUG USE STATISTICS: A COMPARISONhttp://www.netherlands-embassy.org/c_drugstat.html Drug Policy on the Netherlands, www.netherlands-embassy.org [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: