Pubdate: Wed, 03 Jan 2007
Source: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
Copyright: 2007, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371
Author: Hector Gutierrez, Rocky, Mountain News
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH USE DOUBLES, TASK FORCE REPORTS

The number of people in Colorado using methamphetamine  more than
doubled from 2000 to 2005, according to a  report issued Tuesday by a
state task force.

Colorado also had a higher percentage of people over 12  who used
methamphetamine between 2002 and 2005 than the  national average,
according to the State  Methamphetamine Task Force. The task force was
created  last year by lawmakers to tackle the production and
addiction of the illegal drug.

The task force said the U.S. Sentencing Committee  Report found that
28 percent of convicted drug  offenders in Colorado used
methamphetamine as their  primary drug in 2003 compared to 17 percent
nationwide.

Among people 18 to 25, methamphetamine use in the state  was about 2
percent higher than the national average,  according to the report.

The 27-member task force, which is led by state  Attorney General John
Suthers, issued its first report  on the state's methamphetamine use
on Tuesday, although  the report was not accompanied by hard data.
Kristen  Holtzman, communications director for the attorney  general,
said the data would be available today.

The report said that the percentage of meth users who  sought
treatment for their addiction climbed from 8  percent in 2000 to 19
percent in 2005.

The report did highlight some good news. For one, the  number of meth
labs in Colorado has fallen in the past  three years, the task force
said. It credited the  passage of stricter state laws that made it
difficult  for the illegal drug's manufacturers to buy
over-the-counter medication, such as ephedra and  pseudophed, the key
ingredients used to make meth.

The report also found:

The 2006 National Drug Assessment Report identified  Denver as a major
meth distribution center because of  its central location.

Treatment admissions for meth use in rural communities  increased from
7 percent to 22 percent.

Meth use among females was proportionately the same as  men.

Gay men used methamphetamine at higher rates than their  heterosexual
counterparts, according to the Colorado  Outcomes Study.

Children who are exposed to meth labs or users are at  higher risks of
chemical contamination and extreme  negative health results, which
include illness and  death.

Meth users who are treated for their addiction comprise  19 percent of
total admissions at treatment centers.
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MAP posted-by: Derek