CONCORD CENTER TO STUDY DRUG USE

Methamphetamine Abuse Called Epidemic

A Concord drug treatment center will be one of seven sites nationwide to
study methamphetamine abuse amid growing evidence that Contra Costa County
is experiencing an epidemic of the cheap, powerful stimulant.

And almost a decade into California's meth crisis, statistics show that
Contra Costa has had a 50 percent higher hospital-admission rate for the
drug than the rest of the state.

"The numbers have really been rising in methamphetamine abuse," said Denise
Mordecai of the New Leaf Treatment Center. "It's pretty astounding. I think
Contra Costa County is one of the worst counties hit in the state. And
California is one of the worst states in the nation."

As part of a $3.1 million grant awarded by the federal Center for Substance
Abuse Treatment, New Leaf will offer free drug counseling to as many as 200
people over the next three years. The goal is to compare the center's
outpatient treatment program with eight-week and 16-week courses developed
in Los Angeles to treat cocaine addicts.

Three other such studies will be conducted in Daly City, Hayward and San
Mateo along with clinics in San Diego, Montana and Hawaii.

Nationally, an estimated 4 million people have used methamphetamine.
According to New Leaf, nearly 20 percent of methamphetamine users are
between the ages of 18 and 24.

Here in California, state authorities seized 6.5 tons of it last year, and
the state Department of Justice now devotes 75 percent of its anti-drug
resources to curbing the spread of meth.

Last week, 18 men were arrested in the East Bay on charges of manufacturing
and distributing the drug, a bust that should provide plenty of subjects for
the new Concord study.

"Those arrests may make a dent in supply in a little while, which means more
people are going to want treatment," Mordecai said.

Chuck Deutschman, the county's substance abuse program administrator, said
reliable figures are not available on how Contra Costa compares statewide in
meth cases because many other counties do not report accurately or at all.

But Deutschman agreed that the county is experiencing an above-average level
of methamphetamine cases which is still increasing. More people are smoking
the drug and as addicts grow older, the public may end up paying a high cost.

"I think the biggest problem that we're facing is the aging of the addict
population," Deutschman said. "Chronic use of meth leads to impairment of
cognitive functioning. It's creating a huge burden on the jails and in
emergency room psychiatric intakes. This drug is very destructive to human
beings. It leads to bizarre behavior -- what we call tweakers -- and
gratuitous violence."

And meth use is posing an increasing threat to public safety in Contra Costa
County as police, fire and hazardous materials teams are discovering more
meth labs, which often contain flammable and toxic chemicals.

"They definitely have increased," said Tracy Hein-Silva, spokeswoman for the
county health department . "Our personnel are seeing more `Mom and Pop' drug
labs, something operated out of your home or in your car. In 1998, we
averaged one drug lab every three days. To date, we are responding to one
lab every two days."

Similarly, Concord police say they have seen a sharp spike in the number of
meth labs uncovered. Officers located and dismantled 18 last year. So far,
this year they have found 14, many being used to make drugs for personal
use, said Lieutenant Gordon Cromwell.

"The volume of sheer product is not as great," Cromwell said. "But the
numbers alone this year are a concern. Many of these people are using
chemicals that are toxic and create toxic fumes."

For more information or to participate in the study, call (925) 688-0500.