1 Methamphetamine’s Impact on Women and their Children April 22, 2006

2 CAN I GET YOUR ATTENTION?

3 Methamphetamine Methamphetamine (Meth) Was Once Located In Rural Towns And On The West Coast, Has Erupted Across The United States And Is Now Devastating Countless Families, Children And Neighborhoods.

4 What is Methamphetamine Methamphetamine (Meth) Is A Powerfully Addictive Stimulant That Has A High Potential For Abuse And Dramatically Affects The Central Nervous System.

5 Is Meth Addictive? Meth Is Addictive, And Users Can Develop A Tolerance Quickly, Needing Larger Amounts To Get High.

6 Did You Know In Some Cases, Users Forego Food And Sleep And Take More Meth Every Few Hours For Days, 'Binging' Until They Run Out Of The Drug Or Become Too Disorganized To Continue.

7 Did You Know Immediately After Smoking Or Injection, The User Experiences An Intense Sensation, Called A “ Rush” Or "Flash," That Lasts Only A Few Minutes And Is Described As Extremely Pleasurable.

8 Did You Know Other Possible Immediate Effects Include Increased Wakefulness And Insomnia, Decreased Appetite, Irritability/Aggression, Anxiety, Nervousness, Convulsions And Heart Attack.

9 Did You Know "More Than 12 Million Americans Have Tried Methamphetamine, And 1.5 Million Are Regular Users." - David J. Jefferson, "America's Most Dangerous Drug" Newsweek August 8, 2005 “Meth Addicts Are Pouring Into Prisons And Recovery Centers At An Ever-increasing Rate, And A New Generation Of 'Meth Babies' Is Choking The Foster- care System In Many States." - David J. Jefferson, "America's Most Dangerous Drug" Newsweek August 8, 2005 Rock Meth

10 Links Photos Courtesy From ugissue/Meth/Default.HtmlHttp:// ugissue/Meth/Default.Html

11 Where is the Meth Epidemic and How Bad is It?

12 Meth Initiation, 1965 to 2003 (National Data from TEDS ) New users who fuel our current meth epidemic.

13 Meth Prevalence, 2000 to 2004

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1993 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1994 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1995 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1996 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1997 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1998 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 1999 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) 2000 KEY YEAR: 1992 Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) KEY YEAR: Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

24 or more < Incomplete data Primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates by State: TEDS (per 100,000 population aged 12 and over) KEY YEAR: Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Did You Know "Untold Families Who Bought Homes In Recent Years Live In Former Meth Labs.” ySome, Upon Discovering Their Homes Were Filled With Residue From Acetone, Red Phosphorus And Other Toxic Agents, Have Fled, Losing Their Investment And A Life's Worth Of Treasured Possessions." - Richard Jerome "Home Toxic Home?" People August 8, 2005 Meth is a triple-whammy: Law Enforcement Costs Treatment and Societal/Family Costs Meth Lab Clean-up Costs

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) KEY YEAR: 1995 Total Lab Seizures in 1995 = 912 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) KEY YEAR: 1995 Total Lab Seizures in 1996 = 2,509 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 1997 = 2,813 KEY YEAR: 1995 DC Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 1998 = 3,811 KEY YEAR: 1995 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 1999 = 6,781 KEY YEAR: 1995 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 2000 = 6,992 KEY YEAR: 1995 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 2001 = 8,546 KEY YEAR: 1995 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 2002 = 9,180 KEY YEAR: 1995 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

100 or more 1 < None Methamphetamine Lab Seizures by State: DEA, Federal Seizures Only, (Number of Seizures) Total Lab Seizures in 2003 = 8,502 KEY YEAR: 1995 Data Source: El Paso Intelligence Center, National Clandestine Laboratory Seizure System Charts prepared by Carnevale Associates, LLC

34 Good News! - 67% Reduction in Labs (Salt Lake County Metro Data) Bad News! – Meth is now being trafficked in from Mexico as it is cheap and easy to produce.

35 Who is Using Meth and Why? Remember that drug abuse is a complex issue that is highly impacted by a person’s environment and genetic make-up. For those that use drugs it is all about the “market”: –Cost of the drug on the street –Availability of the drug –Risk in the use of the drug

36 Gender Trends

37 METH Use Among Women is Higher Than with Men (Utah Data)

38 Alcohol vs. Drugs

39 Top Four Illicit Drugs of Choice by Year (Excluding Alcohol) FY1991 to FY2005

40 Women, Children and Methamphetamine Methamphetamine (METH) continues to be the drug of choice among SLCo’s women of childbearing age who use and abuse illegal drugs. Reasons for the preference for METH among this population are many and complex, and include: –difficulties in juggling family and personal responsibilities –women who use METH are typically depressed, dependent on a male for financial support, lacking in marketable vocational skills, and overwhelmed with child care responsibilities. Of particular concern is the fact that two-thirds (68%) of these women* have young, dependent children. METH appears to be appealing to young women in the short term for several reasons: –It is cheap and easy to get; –Individuals report that the effects of the drug are extremely appealing –It gives them the energy they need to take care of their children; –It gives them the energy to maintain a home; –It gives them the energy to keep working; and –It helps women lose weight (often referred to as the “Jenny Crank” drug). * Most of these women must rely, in part, on a male relative or other man to help them subsidize the care of their children. One of the consequences of this reliance is that they must “party” with this man. Because METH is one of the most addictive drugs, once women (or anyone) begin to use METH, they can quickly become physically and psychologically dependent and may not be able to control their use and abuse of the drug. AP&P reports that 90% of women supervised for drug violations began using drugs given to them by their male partners.

41 Drug/Gender

42 Drug/Age

43 Dependent Children

44 METH Use Peaks in Child-bearing Years

45 What is the Meth Epidemic Costing Us? Remember – we pay one way or another for Meth –Law Enforcement –Prisons/Jail –Courts –Child Welfare –Hospital/ER –Safe and Healthy Communities

46 National Average Societal Issues with Substance Abuse Contributing Factor 70% of Teen Suicides Traffic 50% of Fatalities 52% of Murders 68% of Manslaughter Charges 55% of Burglaries 51% of Auto Thefts 80% of Child Abuse 51% of Assaults 45% of Rapes Alcohol and Drugs are Associated With Note: These figures are national, however the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department estimates that 75-85% of all crime in Salt Lake County is substance-related

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48 Cost of Treatment It costs SLCo about $26,000 per year to treat a three member family. Since the cost to fund each family treatment episode is financed with a variety of other funds, the SLCo/State general fund share is about 25% or $6,500 per family treatment episode. This is a favorable figure when compared to all the costs of incarceration –cost of incarceration for a woman is about $30,000 per year –to keep a child in state foster care for one year is about $33,000 (total family cost for incarceration and two foster care placements is about $100,000 per year in state and county general funds) The $26,000 for family treatment is our most expensive treatment modality, costs range from $3,500 per slot for single men to the $26,000 for a three member family in family treatment. Therefore, the cost savings to the taxpayer to treat rather than incarcerate a mother of two children is significant.

49 Part of the Answer - Treatment and Prevention

50 Treatment Gap – Utah is Very Representative of the U.S.

51 “Substance Abuse is a Chronic Relapsing Disease” Nat’l Institute of Drug Abuse This is a health care issue! Insurance plans should cover treatment and intervention as a part of a health care policy. Employers should make sure that treatment and intervention are included in their health care plans. The treatment capacity is at about 25% of the need – provide incentives to the private treatment system and they will respond by building more capacity. Provide more public treatment funding for the individuals who do not have insurance (employer-based, Medicaid, etc.) Develop more and better prevention and intervention programs designed to inform the public – “de-stigmatize” addiction.

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53 Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPT Block Grant) Foundation of Substance Abuse Treatment in the U.S. * Medicaid is one of the major funding sources for women's’ substance abuse treatment in the U.S. *

54 What You Can Do!!! Talk with your elected officials (federal, state, county and city). Tell them we need a coordinated strategy that includes these five elements: –Harden our borders to keep international traffickers out. –Ask your federal representatives (Congress) to enter into discussions with international producer countries of Meth precursor drugs. –Help advocate for more treatment slots for Meth addicts. –Talk with your federal and local officials about standards for Meth lab cleanup. –Talk with your federal and state officials about tighter control of Meth precursor drugs (behind the counter and logs). Start talking and advocating for treatment to be a part of the discussion on health care policy. Work in your communities to develop messages aimed at preventing substance abuse – especially Meth use. Let your elected official know that we can’t “punish” our way out of this problem.

55 Remember that women control most health care decisions in their families and the United States – you are a powerful voice for a rational health care policy and the best hope for addicted women and their children.