UTAH DRUG TROUBLE MOUNTS

In the 90s, it's more than meth; heroin busts on the rise as well

Throughout the 1990s, Utahns heard relentless media reports about the spread
of methamphetamine in their state.

But while it has been the fastest growing drug in terms of popularity,
public health data show all illicit drugs experienced a likely massive surge
in use during the decade.

"It's a big problem," said Agent Don Mendrala with the Drug Enforcement
Administration's Salt Lake City office. "While we're spending all our time
on meth -- busting labs -- the other drugs aren't going away.

While no one can say for sure how many people are using drugs, the state
Office of Public Health Data is reporting a 630 percent increase in the
number of overdose deaths due to illegal drugs as well as alcohol between
1991 and 1999. The majority of that increase is from heroin overdoses and
heroin mixed in conjunction with other drugs.

In 1991 there were 20 overdose deaths. The number has gradually risen to a
high of 146 reported last year.

"I think methamphetamine gets all of the attention because of the mess it
makes and the clean up involved," said Robert Rolfs, director of the Public
Health Data office. "I think heroin, though, has just sort of snuck up on
people."

Already, the DEA is reporting heroin busts are up 400 percent over this time
last year. Mendrala attributes this to a growing supply of cheap and more
potent heroin coming in from South and Central America.

Heroin also comes in inhalable forms now, so it's attracting people who
didn't want to try it in the past because it had to be injected, he said.

It could be argued heroin is even worse than methamphetamine, Mendrala said,
because meth is a binge drug that people typically go on and off of. Heroin
is an everyday thing.

"It's a habit that costs $100 bucks a day. And unless you have a lifestyle
that can afford that, you have to turn to crime to support your addiction,"
he said.

"Heroin changes a community. The streets become less safe. There's more
prostitution. Cars are more broken into."

Another indicator of a rise in drug use is the number of people seeking
treatment.

In 1991, there were 1,520 Utahns who walked into a rehab program for an
addiction to a primary, illicit drug. That number increased by over 600
percent to 10,699 in 1999, according to the state Division of Substance
Abuse. Those figures don't include treatment for alcohol, prescription drugs
and some smaller categories of illegal drugs.

The number of meth addicts seeking treatment grew from 58 to 2,882 -- a
4,869 percent increase. Heroin users grew by 415 percent to 1,438 by 1999.
And marijuana addicts seeking treatment increased just under 600 percent to
3,321.

Marijuana patients were also the youngest group with 60 percent of them
being under the age of 18.

The bright note: crack and cocaine abusers entering clinics only grew by 135
percent to 1,529. Officials attribute the relative slow growth in cocaine
use to methamphetamine, which provides a cheaper and longer lasting high,
moving in on the market. Both drugs are considered stimulates.

Maureen Womack, president of the Davis Behavioral Health, said the majority
of the increase in people entering Davis County's treatment programs can be
attributed to courts referring more people to them.

The reason for that is police and courts are doing a better job of
identifying drug abusers, and a likely growing number of abusers in the
community, Womack said.

Between 1991, treatment for drug abuse in Davis County grew by more than 500
percent -- about the same for Weber County.

Kevin Koopmans, director of the Weber Human Service Department's offender's
program, said the added number of police on the streets are also catching
more drug users and getting them into court.

"The war on drugs has put a lot more law enforcement officers on the
street," Koopmans said. "They have more stringent search and seizure methods
now."

Employee drug testing programs are also getting more people into the drug
treatment system, he said. "People aren't looking the other way anymore.

"Our major problem now is keeping people in treatment. Some of those
referred by the courts for treatment never come in. Others drop out as soon
as they find out there's work involved on their part."

And still more leave treatment as soon as they start to feel better, only to
return months later.

Koopmans didn't agree with other experts in saying there's more drug users
in society. He said there's a lack of data to support or refute that.

"All we can deal with is what we know," he said.

Jim Kelly, coordinator of Davis County's recently created drug court, said
alternative programs such as his are definitely adding to drug counselor's
caseloads. But his belief was that Utah is experiencing a genuine increase
in drug usage.

The drug court takes second-time drug offenders and holds their plea in
abeyance for approximately a year. If they complete the treatment program,
visit the judge each week, and subject themselves to regular home visits by
a court official, the charge is dropped.

Hopefully, he said, it will be through these innovative programs that the
state can finally take control of its drug problem.

"We're doing a lot of intervention now we never used to," Kelly said.