STUDY: NEVADA RANKS HIGH IN ILLEGAL DRUG USE

Nevada residents were more likely to use illegal drugs in 2002 than
those who live in most other states, a national drug abuse study shows.

But surprisingly, Nevadans were less likely to binge on alcohol than
those who live in most other states, the study, released last week,
says.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey,
which polled 1,000 Nevadans and 68,000 people nationally asking them
about their drug and alcohol use, revealed that:

Nevada had the second highest rate of illegal drug use, excluding
marijuana, with 4.83 percent of those surveyed saying they'd used an
illegal drug in the past month. Arizona topped the list, with 4.86
percent.

Nevada ranked 35th in the nation on those who said they had binged on
alcohol in the past month, with only 22 percent of those surveyed
saying they had. The state with the most binge drinking was North
Dakota, with 56 percent.

Nevada was 20th in the nation for alcohol consumption, with 54 percent
of Nevadans surveyed stating they'd consumed alcohol in the past
month. New Jersey topped that list, with 61 percent.

Dr. David Schmidt of the Neuropsychology Clinic in Las Vegas said he
was "perplexed" by the discrepancy between drug abuse and alcohol
abuse rates in Nevada.

"I would think they'd rise and lower at the same rate," he said.

Schmidt said the difference could be attributed to Nevada's lack of
sporting events, which he said tend to revolve around alcohol, and a
weaker sense of community than other cities have.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas clinical psychologist Chris Heavey had
a different theory.

"We're called Sin City, but it's really a very small percentage of
people in the area who engage in sinful behavior," Heavey said. "That
small percentage are somewhat more likely to engage in extreme
behaviors like drug use."

In addition, whereas alcohol is generally accessible across the
nation, people see Las Vegas as a more drug-accessible city, Heavey
said.

In other findings, the survey revealed that:

Nevada ranked fifth in the country both for the use of any illegal
drug, including marijuana, and the use of cocaine in the past month,
with almost 11 percent stating that they'd used any illegal drug and 3
percent stating that they'd used cocaine in the past month.

3 percent of Nevadans surveyed said they'd been dependent on an
illegal drug for the past year, ranking Nevada eighth in the nation in
that category.

Nevada ranked ninth in the nation for marijuana use, with almost 9
percent of those surveyed stating that they'd used marijuana in the
past month.

City and state officials were not surprised that Nevada ranked high in
illegal drug use.

"Las Vegas is very close to the Mexican border, where many illegal
drugs come up through and to San Diego and Los Angeles, the big cities
known as import cities for narcotics," said Metro Police Sgt. Blake
Quackenbush, who heads a squad in the narcotics division. "You also
have more addictive personalities here, addicted to gambling, alcohol
and drugs."

Quackenbush said Metro Police prevent the use of narcotics mainly by
intercepting drug traffickers and lecturing to the community.

"We essentially lecture to anybody who will listen about the popular
drugs in Las Vegas, what they look like and what the dangers are," he
said.

Maria Canfield, of the state Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, said
she "continues to be disappointed" by Nevada's high rates of illicit
drug use. But she said she was not surprised at the study's results.

"I believe that is consistent with other information we've seen in the
past," Canfield said.

The bureau recently filed an application to the governor's office for
a $3 million grant to expand its drug prevention programs in local
communities for the next five years, she said.

"We fund a variety of prevention programs across the age continuum
across the state to try to keep folks from getting into trouble with
substances," she said.

According to the survey, Nevadans ages 18 to 25 had the highest rates
of every kind of illegal drug use compared with those ages 12 to 17
and ages 26 and older.

In Nevada, Canfield said, alcohol is the primary addiction among
adults who come to the bureau for treatment, while marijuana is the
primary addiction among adolescents.

To remedy the state's high rates of drug use, Nancy Gott of WestCare,
a nonprofit treatment center for substance abuse, said Nevada needs to
invest more in programs that focus on treating drug abuse rather than
punishing abusers.

"People don't view it as a disease, and it is a disease," Gott said.
"Some people view it as a character flaw and people avoid treatment
because they think they'll be stigmatized and looked down upon."