CEWG January 09 Full Report - National Institute on Drug Abuse

EpidEmiologic TrEnds in drug AbusE: HigHligHTs And ExEcuTivE summAry
period (CY 2007), Hawai‘i, Los Angeles, Colorado,
San Diego, Phoenix/Maricopa County,
and Texas continued to report declines in the
first half of 2008. In Phoenix, the area representative
reported that some anecdotal evidence
may indicate that the methamphetamine supply
is beginning to turn upward again. In addition,
methamphetamine indicators were leveling off
or declining slightly in Seattle, stable or declining
in the Denver/Boulder area, and declining
in San Francisco. Indicators (including overdose
deaths, arrestee prevalence, treatment
admissions, and drug items identified n forensic
laboratories) were down in San Diego, after
peaking in 2005. The <strong>CEWG</strong> representative
reported that methamphetamine has become
less available and of lower quality with increased
prices since 2005 in San Diego County, based
on survey data. In Albuquerque, methamphetamine
indicators were reported as stable and as
increasing slightly in New Mexico.
• In the midwestern region, methamphetamine
indicators were reported as decreasing in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul reporting area (figure 9),
as stable or decreasing in St. Louis, and as stable
or mixed in other areas of the region. Methamphetamine
indicators were low in Chicago and
Cincinnati.
• Methamphetamine indicators were low across
most northeastern and southern <strong>CEWG</strong> areas,
including Baltimore City, Maryland, Detroit,
Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, Maine,
and Washington, DC. Atlanta reported a decline
in indicators in the first half of 2008. Despite the
fact that methamphetamine abuse indicators in
Figure 9.
Methamphetamine-Related Treatment Admissions in the Minneapolis/
St. Paul Metropolitan Area: 2000–2008 (in Half-Year Intervals) 1
1,400
1,200
1,178
1,041
1,287
Number of Admissions
1,000
800
600
400
233
299 314
552
460
542
620
773
887
806 776 727
556 541
200
0
1
Half-year data are indicated and defined as follows: “h1”= first half (<strong>January</strong>-June); “h2”=second half (July-December).
SOURCE: Drug and Alcohol Abuse Normative Evaluation System, Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2008, as reported by
Carol Falkowski at the <strong>January</strong> 20<strong>09</strong> <strong>CEWG</strong> meeting
18
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, <strong>January</strong> 20<strong>09</strong>