INDIAN DRUG ABUSE LABELED EPIDEMIC

Substance abuse among American Indian youth has reached epidemic
levels and can only be battled with more money for prevention and
treatment, tribal members said Tuesday. The members, gathered in
Oklahoma City for the National Indian Health Board Consumer
Conference, asked state and federal leaders to expand programs
targeting tribes.

"We are trying to get to our youth because that's our future," said
Dennis Smith Sr., vice chairman of the Shoshone Paiute Tribes.

Smith said he lives in a remote area of Nevada that is 100 miles from
any town but surrounded by methamphetamine producers preying on the
tribe's children.

"It's so easy to manufacture," he said. "It's a heck of a lot easier
to get than marijuana."

American Indians have the highest rate of substance abuse, binge
alcohol use and mental illness among racial and ethnic groups, said
Charles Currie, head of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration.

Currie said suicide rates for American Indians are up to three times
that of the national average and the second-leading cause of death for
people 15 to 24.

"Until very recently, despite good intentions and best efforts, our
methods and plans to reach American Indians and Native Americans and
improve access to services in their communities have been less than
successful," he said.

He blamed lack of funding nationwide, along with the geographic
isolation of some tribes.

A member of the Choctaw Nation said American Indians in poor, rural
areas suffer the most, and state leaders have not been responsive to
tribal needs.

"There is a serious disconnect in Oklahoma with our tribal programs in
mental health and substance abuse and with the state system," said
Mickey Peercy, treasurer of the Oklahoma Area Indian Health Board.

Peercy said drug abuse leads to more crime, including domestic and
child violence.

Oklahoma was left out of recent federal grants for alcohol and drug
treatment programs.

The state and several Indian groups applied for $100 million in Access
to Recovery grants awarded last week by Currie's agency to 14 states
and one tribal group.

The California Rural Indian Health Board was awarded $17.1 million
over three years to provide traditional and spiritual treatment services.