CONFERENCE CITES JUMP IN METH USE

The second National Conference of Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis
has drawn scientists, politicians, teachers and front-line workers
from across the country to Utah this week to discuss a new era in
meth treatment and prevention.

The opening address Thursday included remarks from Salt Lake City
Mayor Rocky Anderson, who summarized the state of meth in Utah and
beyond with alarming figures of growth - meth-related emergency room
visits have more than doubled since 1995 and there are five times as
many people in treatment for meth today as 1992. The mayor also
congratulated Utah's Harm Reduction Project director, Luciano
Colonna, calling his organization's meth policy "sensible and effective."

"We are making significant progress and improving the lives of people
in communities across our nation," Anderson said.

Among the variety of presentations on the opening day of the
three-day conference - aimed at raising awareness and promoting
discussion about methamphetamine and the consequences involving its
use - included a presentation of new data released by the Bureau of
Forensic Toxicology on methamphetamine deaths in Utah during a 10-year period.

In addition to information about meth-related death, bureau director
Gambrelli Layco shared figures that show how Utah's affliction with
meth has soared since the mid-1990s - strongly surpassing national
averages. The number of Utahns seeking treatment for
meth has skyrocketed from 16 per 100,000 people in 1993 to 186 per
100,000 in 2003, said Gambrelli, reciting data from the state's
Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

Using data from the office of the medical examiner, Gambrelli's
department counted 527 meth-involved deaths in Utah between 1995 and
2005. Of those deaths, 85 percent occurred along the Wasatch Front,
63 percent included the use of other drugs - mainly cocaine, heroin
and alcohol - in a range of age from the unborn to 63 years old,
Gambrelli reported.

Colonna said scientists, doctors and clinical workers see
methamphetamine as a treatable, preventable issue.

Topics that also planned to be addressed at the conference include
the success and challenges of needle-exchange programs and meth use
by gay men, women and ethnic groups.

Conference topics today and Saturday will focus on hepatitis, meth
and children, policy-making and scientific research.