METH USE BY UTAH WOMEN SOARING

An Increase In 'Club Drugs' Is Noted In Report

The annual snapshot of drug abuse in Utah shows that more than 100,000
Utahns, about a fifth of whom are under age 18, are addicted to alcohol and
other drugs.

The "critical issue" the past year, according to the annual report by the
state Division of Substance Abuse, is methamphetamine use among young
women. It is an "especially serious" problem that is worsened by the fact
that nearly 70 percent of the women admitted for treatment of meth
addiction have dependent children and are in their prime child- bearing years.

Use of "club drugs" such as so-called date-rape drugs and ecstacy is also
increasing and raising the concern of agency officials who monitor abuse
throughout the state.

"Club drugs are often presented as harmless, and we are working to dispel
that misconception," said Pat Fleming, division director, adding that
efforts to discourage the use of alcohol, tobacco and all other drugs of
addiction will continue.

Methamphetamine, a form of speed, is cheap, easy to make and is one of the
main contributors to Utah's crime problem, according to the report. Reasons
young women use the drug are widely varied, but many say they began using
it to give them an energy boost in dealing with the pressure of family and
daily life.

It also helps in weight loss and is often referred to as the "Jenny Crank"
drug as a play on the Jenny Craig weight loss clinics, the report states.

During the 2001 fiscal year that ended June 30, more than 2,400 women were
treated in Utah for addiction to methamphetamine. They are 10 to 15 years
younger than people in other treatment programs and represent well over a
third of the women who were receiving drug addiction treatment.

One of the several startling figures in the report shows that the past
decade has seen a large increase in the number of women who have entered
treatment programs compared to men. There were 12,383 men admitted into
treatment in 1991 compared to 13,889 in 2001. That is 1,506 more
admissions, or a 12 percent increase over the past 10 years.

For women over the same time, 2,679 women were admitted in 1991 and 6,580
in 2001. That is an increase of 3,901 admissions or a 145.6 percent increase.

Some other statistics about meth users:

10 percent of the more than 2,400 women in drug treatment for meth were
homeless.

40 percent had not yet completed high school; 37 percent had only completed
high school or received their GED.

33 percent of women listing meth as their primary substance of abuse said
they were using it every day.

7 percent reported that public assistance was their primary source of
income; 37 percent had no income.

16 percent reported being insured by Medicaid; 4 percent reported having
private health insurance; 56 percent reported having no health insurance.

5 percent, or 130 individuals, reported being pregnant at the time of
admission into treatment.

41 percent had been arrested at least once in the six months prior to
admission.

The report also shows that more than half of all men and women in drug
addiction treatment programs used one of four different drugs: marijuana,
meth, cocaine/crack or heroin. The single most popular drug of choice among
those four is meth, which outpaced marijuana as the primary illicit drug of
choice for patients in treatment, with 18.5 percent of those in treatment
using it. Marijuana was a half percent behind. About 8 percent were using
some form of cocaine, and 7.6 percent were using heroin.

Alcohol by far remains the top substance of abuse, with 42.4 percent of
those in treatment reporting it as their primary drug of choice. The report
notes that San Juan County admits 81.4 percent of their patients mainly for
alcohol addiction or dependence. But those being treated at the state
prison are much more likely to have methamphetamine addiction (31.6
percent) with only 25 percent of those patients reporting alcohol as their
primary drug.

The report also notes that the most common illicit drug of choice in the
United States is heroin (16 percent). Only 4 percent of those in treatment
programs across the country say methamphetamine is the primary drug of abuse.

Treatment programs in Utah discharged nearly 18,000 patients in 2001. Fewer
than half successfully completed treatment. The report also shows that 25.4
percent of the patients were unsuccessful and left treatment against
professional advice or were terminated by the facility. Others transferred
to other treatment facilities or may have been lost to record-keeping for
other reasons.

One positive aspect of treatment is its apparent effect on criminal
activity. Although almost all patients report having been arrested at least
once prior to treatment, very few get arrested again after admission.

Women on methamphetamine who have children and also a methamphetamine habit
have a tough time sticking with treatment programs, according to the
report. "They will not enter and will not stay in treatment if they have to
leave their children."

It is imperative that women feel safe and their children must experience a
normal family living environment, which includes their own bed, personal
items, regular family socialization and school, Fleming said.

The report notes that the division is trying to open two urban and two
rural residential family treatment facilities for women and their children,
with sites in Salt Lake City, Provo, Brigham City and St. George.