Meth Treatment Admissions Rise Sharply

In 1993, only 28,000 people a year in the United States sought treatment for methamphetamine addiction, mostly in westerns states, but by 2003 an estimated 136,000 people a year were seeking treatment for meth all across the country, according to a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration report.

According to the report, "Trends in Methamphetamine/Amphetamine Admissions to Treatment: 1993-2003" the rate of methamphetamine admissions increased nationally from 13 per 100,000 population to 56 per 100,000 -- moving across the country from the West to the East.

According to a SAMSHA news release: the report combines the two substances of abuse because 3 of the 52 states and jurisdictions in TEDS do not distinguish between the powerful amphetamine, methamphetamine, and all other amphetamines. However, for the majority of states that do distinguish between the substances, 86 percent of primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions in 2003 were for methamphetamine.

States with methamphetamine/amphetamine treatment rates higher than the national average in 2003 include Arkansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Uniquely Destructive Drug

"Methamphetamine is undeniably a uniquely destructive drug," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "As this new analysis of data shows many states continue to see a dramatic increase in the numbers of methamphetamine users in treatment programs. To help support state efforts to provide treatment for people addicted to methamphetamine, the President has proposed $25 million for targeted methamphetamine treatment in the Access to Recovery program for FY 2007."

The climb in admissions to treatment for methamphetamine/amphetamine as the primary substance of abuse rose from 28,000 admissions in 1993 (nearly 2 percent of 1.6 million admissions nationally) to almost 136,000 admissions in 2003 (over 7 percent of the total 1.8 million admissions).

Low Rate, But Large Increases

Along with states with admission rates for methamphetamine/amphetamine that exceed the national average, there are now several states that have had large increases in admissions even though they are below the national average. These states include Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Illinois, Indiana and North Dakota.

The nine states in the Northeast had low rates of treatment admissions for methamphetamine/amphetamine abuse in 1993, and those rates continued to remain low in 2003.

Source: SAMSHA News Release
More Information:

• Meth Addiction Increased Sharply in 2004
  
• Meth Treatment Takes More Time
  
• Methamphetamine FAQs