Pubdate: Thu, 29 Aug 2013
Source: Chico News & Review, The (CA)
Copyright: 2013 Chico Community Publishing, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsreview.com/chico/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/559
Author: Jim Bettencourt
Note: The author is a Chico resident and the founder of Not In Our
Town-Glenn County. He maintains the website www.drugpreventioned.com.

DRUG-DEATH EPIDEMIC MUST BE STOPPED

Every 4.3 days someone in Butte County dies from drug use

Butte County's citizens have died from drug-induced death at a rate
3.5 times higher than the state average, according to the California
Department of Public Health. Drug-induced deaths include all deaths
for which drugs, including alcohol, are the underlying cause.

In 2000, there were 13 overdose victims. By 2007, that number went up
by 81 percent to 67 overdose victims. The drug-induced death rate has
risen dramatically in recent years.

 From 2010 through 2012, drug overdoses killed 254 victims, according
to Butte County Public Health. That's an average of 85 overdose
victims per year, which means that someone dies every 4.3 days on
average-nearly two victims per week. In 2012, of the 72 overdose
deaths, only three were attributed to alcohol directly, but
frequently, overdose victims have used alcohol with other drugs.

Within the last 10 years, 641 citizens have died from drug overdoses,
primarily from prescription-drug use.

To put it another way, residents of Butte County are 2.5 times more
likely to die from a drug-induced death than from a motor-vehicle crash.

In 2012, the youngest overdose victim was 16; the oldest was 84. Of
this group, 28 were females and 44 males, with a combined average age
of 48 years old. Overdoses are killing more 30-, 40- and 50-year-old
individuals than other age demographics.

With few exceptions, those who have died from a drug overdose had more
than one drug in their system. Nationally, pharmaceutical-drug use now
kills more people than illicit drugs.

Obviously, a problem of this magnitude will require a countywide
effort-and extremely strong leadership.

The best-case scenario would be for the public, as well as Butte
County's hospitals, medical professionals, county supervisors, health
services, law enforcement, city leaders, community-service
organizations and Chico State University, to say that enough is
enough, and that it is time to address this issue collectively.

Recently, after Chico lost five young people to alcohol use, many of
the above agencies, institutions and organizations awoke from their
deep, deep sleep on the issue. The silence on the drug-death epidemic
over the years has been deafening.

Butte County citizens must decide if men, women and children dying
from drug overdoses every 4.3 days is acceptable. If not, is Butte
County willing to do the hard work needed to begin reducing this
extreme rate of senseless drug-induced deaths?
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MAP posted-by: Matt