Denver
Overdoses Up, Rest of the Nation Down
In Denver, Colorado, drug abuse death casualties are skyrocketing
while at the same time in other U.S. cities statistics of drug
overdoses are declining or leveling off.
According to a study by the Department of Health and Human Services,
metro Denver had 310 drug overdose deaths in 2001, more than double
the statistic of five years previous. In another federal study research
shows that nationwide, Colorado ranks first in marijuana use, second
in alcohol abuse, and 15th in drug abuse among the other 50 states.
These statistics are not surprising due to the fact that Colorado
spend less on drug abuse education and treatment than almost any
other state in the region, Health Officials say. "Absolutely it
is a big problem" said Adam Brickner, Director of Denver Mayor Wellington
Webb's office of Drug Strategy in an interview with Rocky Mountain
News.
"We spend so little money on prevention, treatment and intervention
in Colorado. We absolutely could do something about these deaths,
but we are not doing it" he continues to say. The use of Ecstasy
and other "designer drugs" are also showing a huge increase in
casualties along with methamphetamines, but the main killer seems
to be alcohol
and cocaine in combination with each other. Health officials also
state that marijuana is the main gateway drug that indefinitely
leads to more serious drug addiction problems.
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