Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 9, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs | 
Needle exchanges are the controversial program set up to allow intravenous drug users a safe place to acquire new, clean needles. These facilities are intended to help prevent the spread of diseases that are associated with IV drug use and dirty needles. This type of program is often regarded as one of the more drastic forms of harm reduction.
Many people are cautious of needle exchange facilities for fear that it will normalize drug use and encourage others to experiment with drugs like heroin and prescription painkillers. However, studies show that such programs don’t impact the situation negatively by attracting new users, and some reports show that they help get more people into treatment by having referral centers available for detox and treatment.
The state of Indiana is currently facing an outbreak of HIV infections due to needle-using substance abusers. In the rural section of the state there have been 149 reported cases of HIV. In other parts of the country, residents are facing a Hepatitis C crisis. The amount of people that have contracted the liver disease have more than tripled in some parts of the country. One of the reasons for this incredible spread is that many people who are carrying the Hepatitis C virus are unaware that they are infected. Unfortunately the most common way to contract Hepatitis C is by blood to blood contact, and for drug addicts this comes in the form of a needle.
The Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, ordered an emergency needle exchange to stop the rapidly spreading HIV virus throughout the population, and other states are wondering if they should follow suite. “It is critically important that needle exchange programs like the temporary one in Indiana be replicated across the country, and be permanent. Studies have repeatedly proven that needle exchange programs reduce HIV, hepatitis and other infections among people who use intravenous drugs without increasing intravenous drug use,” explained Paul Samuels, president of the Legal Action Center.
Whether you are an advocate of harm reduction strategies such as needle exchange programs or not, it is hard to argue with the notion that we should be using every tool available that helps mitigate the damage caused by addiction.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on June 1, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News, Opiate Abuse |
It appears that heroin has not only made its way into Native American reservations, but that it is claiming many addicts along the way. While it is not news that heroin is seeping into many neighborhoods throughout the country, some Native Americans were taken off guard by the swiftness the drug began to take over. With a past that has been laden with relocation, segregation, and conflict with others, heroin seems to be preying on the emotions that are deep within many people living on the reservations.
In addition to the emotional pull towards heroin, there are reports that Mexican drug cartels are specifically targeting Native American communities. Because of high unemployment rates and histories of alcohol and meth addiction, the cartels are able to convince some American Indians to sell and transport drugs for them. While local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration are aware of the heroin trend in many Native American communities, it is proving difficult to police. “And we show up and then there’s nothing. I think they have the knowledge of us not being everywhere or the short manpower that we have. They know it, so they’re getting smart about it,” explained Donald Seimy, a Navajo police officer.
Additionally, some drug cartel members, or drug dealers within the reservation are intentionally sabotaging police efforts to curb the heroin abuse problem. Because of the lack of officers throughout the reservation if one issue comes up it generally pulls many of the on-duty officers off their patrol. There have been instances of false accident reports being called in, likely to clear the roads for drug trafficking in other parts of the reservation.
Because law enforcement within the tribes is minimal, it appears that heroin is no match for the small police forces on the reservations. The problem with lack of monitoring and policing only leads to more addictions. Past studies have shown that a child who grows up in households where one family member is abusing drugs makes it more likely that the child will follow down the same path. Because of this, the close-knit community on the reservation gets overrun with heroin addicts.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on March 6, 2015 under Opiate Abuse |
The addiction treatment community has been at odds about drug replacement therapy for years. Many are wary to recommend long-term drug replacement therapy, especially given the storied history of methadone. However, Suboxone varies significantly from methadone in that users are less able to abuse the drug and there is less risk of impairment as well. Many treatment centers have begun to administer their programs after a short taper of Suboxone is given to clients.
For several decades the traditional way to approach treatment was the 12-step method. This method subscribed to the idea that in order to overcome an addiction one was to remain completely abstinent and attend 12-step meetings designed to repair the damage caused by addiction both on the individual and on the other components of their lives like; family, work and religion. While this is still a viable option for treatment, many treatment centers have integrated other aspects to treatment that make attaining sobriety much swifter and long lasting. In addition to 12-step meetings, some treatment centers are incorporating trauma resolution – working with the client to get to the bottom of traumatic incidents in their life that may have caused the addiction. Working with trained therapists, an addict is able to confront their past and learn how to deal with problems in the future. This is different from traditional rehabilitation programs in that it provides another layer of treatment in addition to meetings.
Still, other treatment centers have moved away from 12-step altogether and focused instead to the physical and mental aspects of addictions using other forms of therapy. Either way, before a person can successfully focus on their treatment, they have to get over the painful withdrawal symptoms. Instead of quitting cold turkey, which often times is the quickest way to get back on heroin; treatment centers are beginning to introduce a Suboxone taper in their detox programs on a more regular basis. This allows the addict to safely and gradually wean off from heroin and get to a point where they are able to focus their energy into their recovery.
Suboxone and drug replacement therapy can vary in terms of length of time, and it may not be fore everyone, but there is a market out there for a safe way to come off a drug that is killing people otherwise.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on February 28, 2015 under Addiction Trends |
Typically, many incidents involving the drug cartels occur near the Mexican border, however law enforcement has been seeing a dangerous new trend. Drug cartels are moving into other states and taking the violence with them. Washington State is one of the areas that has seen an increase in drug cartel activity. Public officials warn that the violence will continue and the drug cartels will also continue to move throughout the nation as long as the demand for drugs remains high.
“For this area it’s sort of just unbelievable,” explained a resident wholives in a quiet West Washington suburb. Police and the DEA worked together to arrest Cristian Berrelleza Verduzco for his part in a black ice ring. Black ice is a form of methamphetamine and has gained quite a following in the northwestern states. The DEA became aware of Verduzco while they were investigating the Beltran Leyva cartel. The cartel is well known for their sale and distribution of methamphetamine, heroin and illegal fire arms.
The DEA was surprised to learn that one of the top sellers in the cartel was living in a quiet suburb in Washington State. Instead of typical drug-dealing behavior like people coming to the house at odd hours, lots of different cars in front of the house and violence and arguing in public, Verduzco kept a low profile. “There was no drug trafficking, no big parties or anything like that so they were being pretty discrete about what they were doing,” explained the neighbor.
Hiding in plain sight seems to have worked for a bit. The DEA reports that Verduzco lived in the location for years and never aroused suspicion. However, the DEA has been aware that Washington State is a common place for drug cartel members to live. An agent from the DEA explained that around 80 percent of the incidents that are investigated have ties to the drug cartels in Mexico. One reason for this incredible number is that Interstate 5 seems to be a major route of transportation for illegal drugs that come in through Arizona and Texas.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on February 5, 2015 under Addiction Trends, Opiate Abuse, Synthetic Drugs |
Sometimes people in the addiction treatment and prevention fields believe there should be less law enforcement intervention. However, in some cases law enforcement officers wind up joining the ranks and spend time helping educate people about drugs and addiction.
For instance, retired policy Sergeant, Bruce R. Talbot is taking the experience that he gained while working on the police force and imparting what he knows to parents, educators and young people. Talbot understands that that many young people start abusing prescription painkillers and then graduate to heroin. Talbot believes that in order to address the increasing amount of people dying from heroin overdoses the link between prescription drug abuse and heroin drug abuse must be broken.
Heroin used to be a drug that was abused by long-time addicts and stayed mainly within city limits. Now, law enforcement is seeing heroin at high schools in the suburbs. They get called to heroin overdoses in quiet neighborhoods and wind up arresting people for heroin possession in areas that have never reported heroin problems in the past.
Talbot explained that heroin is increasing in purity and is cheaper than ever. In the 1970’s, when heroin experienced a growth in popularity among older males, $10 would buy an addict four doses of heroin with a 3% purity rate. Nowadays, that same $10 buys an addict 12 doses of heroin with a 63% purity rate.
Talbot insists that the biggest problem that has come about with time is that drugs are much more potent than they ever were before. These more dangerous and powerful drugs are creating addicts at an alarming rate, and more importantly they are killing users.
Even synthetic drugs like bath salts and synthetic marijuana are more potent than the street drugs they are replacing. Bath salts provides a similar high to cocaine or methamphetamine, however the drug is so powerful that it can cause psychotic breaks after just one use. Spice, or synthetic marijuana, is meant to provide the same high that marijuana does, however it has been known to induce extreme paranoia and auditory and visual hallucinations.
“Young people have no idea how powerful and dangerous these new synthetic drugs [are],” explained Talbot. He encourages parents to talk with their children about the dangers of drug use. Talking to children about drugs illustrates that parents know what kind of temptations and pressure young adults are facing.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 22, 2015 under Opiate Abuse |
In this day and age it has become quite clear that no one is immune to the pulls of a drug addiction. One FBI agent proved this when he admitted to being addicted to heroin and stealing evidence from cases to fund his habit. In the wake of this confession, the agency is taking a hard look at their offices and the protocol for securing evidence, all in an effort to avoid future breaches in security, like the one agent Matthew Lowry managed for fourteen months while on the job.
When heroin is seized by the FBI it is immediately weighed, documented, sealed and delivered to an evidence room where the drugs sit until trial. Lowry was able to siphon heroin from these evidence bags because he was on the heroin task force. This means that he was given access to heroin on an almost daily basis.
Lowry’s scheme was allegedly rather intricate and involved much deception. It was reported that oftentimes Lowry would go into the evidence room and take heroin that was part of cases that were already closed. This ensured that the agents working on that case would not need to access the drugs for court purposes. When Lowry was unable to take heroin from closed cases he would take heroin from open cases under the guise that he was taking it to the lab to be tested. Lowry would take the drugs home and consume much of it, replacing what he consumed with laxatives or creatine. In order to keep his habit, Lowry had to forge other agent’s names and signatures so that the drugs would not be traced back to him.
Lowry has since admitted to his crime and has spurned an internal investigation into how the FBI deals with evidence and who has access to guns and drugs. Since the investigation has started the FBI revealed that they have “found that every one of the nation’s field offices had problems tracking gun and drug evidence and that in some cases, drugs disappeared for months without notice”.
Because of Lowry’s transgressions, 150 defendants in drug cases throughout the country may potentially go free, lawyers finding it difficult to prosecute without the evidence.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on January 13, 2015 under AZ Drug Rehab News |
Border Patrol Agents working near the state line in Arizona were busy in 2014. The law enforcement agents spent their days policing the border and ensuring that illegal drugs like marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine did not get into the country. Public officials have known for a long time that most of the drugs consumed in the U.S. originate in Mexico and other South American countries and have set up agents all along U.S. borders to prevent as much drugs from getting into the hands of U.S. citizens as possible. By the end of the year, the border control agents had seized more drugs at the Arizona state line than in any other year prior.
Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs that the drug cartels attempt to smuggle into the country. In 2014 border patrol was ready, and seized more than 2,183 pounds of marijuana. When officials divided the pot up in dosages (the amount an average user would consume) it was found that the marijuana that was seized equaled almost one million dosages.
“I think it’s important to note how many dosages this involves. When you see how many doses, you get an idea of how many people would have been using these drugs,” explained Randy Moffit, a lieutenant in Arizona. While it is unclear how much marijuana actually made it into the country, officials can say that the amount of weed that was seized this year added up to a street value of almost $4 million dollars. Agents were pleased to announce that they seized more than twice the amount that was intercepted in 2013.
In addition to marijuana, agents seized heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine. In Arizona alone, fourteen pounds of heroin was taken before it could hit the streets and be dispersed to other states in the country. In the past, methamphetamine was manufactured in the United States, however 2014 saw much of the drug being made in Mexico and smuggled into the U.S. Agents were able to prevent 177 pounds of the drug from making it to users, this is more than four times the amount that was seized in 2013.
Preventing illegal drugs from coming into the country is a vital part of Arizona border patrol agents jobs, and in 2014 they managed to exceed almost all numbers from the previous year.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on September 10, 2014 under AZ Drug Rehab News |
Despite the mounting efforts exhibited by Arizona border control, there is still an alarming amount of heroin getting through from Mexico. Once the heroin crosses over into the United States, it is then shipped throughout the country.
Unfortunately, as the heroin spreads through to different cities and states, suburban youth are the most targeted clients of drug dealers. The work that Arizona border control is doing to police the thousands of people who attempt to come into Arizona on a daily basis is helping somewhat, but there is more work to be done to put a significant dent into the heroin trafficking into the United States.
Heroin can be hidden in just about anything. Arizona border control has learned that heroin can be strapped to a baby, hidden in any part of a car, even inside tires. Another scary trend that is being noticed throughout Arizona is that some people are simply walking across the state line carrying the heroin themselves. Agents have picked up grandmothers and children carrying heroin for drug cartels. Had the heroin not been intercepted it would have gone on to safe houses where it would have been distributed to waiting transporters for further distribution.
Once the heroin leaves Arizona it usually travels to major cities throughout the United States, and the usual destination is often into teenagers’ hands. The alarming number of youth who are abusing heroin is growing at a rate that is shocking law enforcement and families throughout the country. “We’ve seen a number of deaths and overdoses among young people – people who are naïve about heroin,” says Gil Kerlikowske the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
In the past, young adults have had to travel to the inner city to obtain the heroin they are seeking. Now, because there is such a demand for the potent drug, most teenagers can get their hands on heroin without ever having to leave their town. As the drug makes it way from the Arizona border into the homes of many American families, it may be time to look at alternative ways to combat the growing heroin problem in the country.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on August 5, 2014 under Opiate Abuse, Prescription Drugs |
Prescription drug abuse is a widespread epidemic that is sweeping the nation. Most addicts report that they obtain prescription painkillers by searching through medicine cabinets and stealing anything they find. Many people will have a prescription for these drugs, use what they need and then forget that they have the drugs in their home. In order to handle this problem, the Arizona State University Police Department and other law enforcement agencies throughout the Phoenix area are working together to bring awareness to the necessity of disposing of any unused prescriptions.
Ten new drug collection containers will be placed throughout Phoenix police departments. “ASU’S Police Department is committed to the safety of the university community, and this service is available for any citizen to use. Dropping off unused prescription drugs for safe disposal by police ensures that dangerous substances won’t be used for illicit purposes,” explained Michael Thompson of the ASU Police Department.
Getting these harmful and highly addictive drugs off the street is a high priority for police and policymakers. Phoenix is a city that is filled with college students and children who do not need to fall victim to a prescription drug abuse problem. New statistics show that most heroin addicts started their opiate addictions by consuming prescription pain medication. The hope is that by reducing the availability of prescription painkillers, lawmakers are effectively preventing people from becoming addicted to heroin in the future.
Making sure that residents of the community have a safe place to drop off unused medications is not a new thing; but the more communities that implement this service the more difficult it is for addicts to get their hands on the drugs. The hope is that more and more communities throughout Arizona will follow Phoenix’s lead and establish drop off sites within their own communities. While Arizona State University’s container has yet to be installed, it will be soon. Until the container is installed, anyone can dispose of their unused medications in other containers throughout the city. Arizona State University has also created an interactive map on their website where people can locate the nearest drop off site.
Posted by azdrugrehabctr on April 10, 2014 under Opiate Abuse |
A hand-held device, called Evzio, recently received approval from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and is expected to be available to the public this summer. The device is similar to an EpiPen used to stop allergic reactions, and is intended to be a life-saving treatment when administered during an overdose.
In a news release following approval, the FDA recommends that family members or caregivers become familiar with the instructions for use before administering Evzio. When the device is turned on, it gives verbal operating instructions to the user, similar to automated defibrillators that hang in public buildings.
The device is designed to deliver a single dose of the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone. The medication works by blocking the ability of heroin or opioid painkillers to attach to brain cells. The FDA notes that because naloxone may note work as long as opioids, repeat doses may be needed. The news release also states that users should seek immediate emergency medical care after administering the antidote.
“This is a big deal, and I hope it gets wide attention,” said Dr. Carl R. Sullivan III, Director of the Addictions Program at West Virginia University. “It’s pretty simple: Having these things in the hands of people around drug addicts just makes sense because you’re going to prevent unnecessary mortality.”
FDA officials say that they speedily approved the device in just 15 weeks because it is critical to prevent deaths by overdose, which have been on the rise despite the agency’s recent efforts. In the past year, the FDA has recommended tightening prescription practices and the changing of labeling requirements for opioid prescription drugs, although many experts believe these are just baby steps on the way to tackling the bigger issues.
“They’re plucking the low-lying fruit, but the hard things haven’t been done,” said Dr. Katz of Tufts University. FDA Commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, agrees with Dr. Katz’s suggestion to require doctors who prescribe highly addictive opioids to get training in how to do it properly. Such training is currently voluntary.
To address the concerns like those of Dr. Katz, Dr. Hamburg emphasized that “tackling the opioid epidemic is a high priority for the FDA,” according to the release. The FDA has made a point to be outspoken about it’s efforts to fight opioid abuse since receiving criticism last fall when it approved the powerful hydrocodone drug, Zohydro, against the advice of the expert panel.
Even though some are concerned that the existence of an overdose antidote will encourage drug users to be even more cavalier with their drug use, many are hopeful that the increased availability of the Evzio device will result in benefits that significantly outweigh the risks.
