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June 13, 2009

Meth use more in adults than youth, children

35 percent of those in Drug Court used methamphetamine

John Walker

DUNCAN — Editor’s note: This is the first in a six-part series on methamphetamine



Facts don’t lie, but statistics can create wrong perceptions if they are used incorrectly. When used correctly, however, statistics can give an accurate portrayal of a subject from a lens of history.

For Stephens County, statistics show there are problems with methamphetamine (meth), but the problem is more with adults than youth.

In fact, 600 people aged 25-40 were assessed for drug and alcohol problems in the past three years by the Stephens County Youth Services alcohol and drug program, wrote the program’s coordinator Josie Brown in an e-mail to The Banner.

Of those 600, 75 percent, or 450 were meth users. Unfortunately, this statistic is not unique to youth services.

Thirty-five percent of Stephens County Drug Court had meth as their drug of choice out of 104 total participants since its inception in February of 2005, said drug court coordinator Sharon Cain.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) statistics, roughly 20 percent of all the people who received substance abuse treatment from Stephens County at a publicly funded institution used meth as their drug of choice.

The number one substance abuse was alcohol.

In an e-mail from ODMHSAS to The Banner, Mark Reynolds, who maintains the statistics portion of their website, wrote that roughly 10 to 30 percent of those who are using drugs will receive treatment for drugs.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health report for 2006, about 0.89 percent of Oklahoma’s population 12 and older has tried meth in the past year. The national average is 0.6 percent.

Data from this last year for youth in Stephens County was shared with The Banner from Dream Duncan Destiny Drug Free Community Chair Dave Narducci.

The data came from a 2008 assessment survey of Stephens County youth prepared by the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

The survey shows substance abuse rates in 2006 and 2008 for sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th graders from around the county who voluntarily listed what substances they used in the past month and lifetime.

Not surprisingly, the number one used substance for all grades in the past 30 days of the survey and of their entire life was alcohol and tobacco with meth and other substances running far behind.

“Meth isn’t much of a problem for those age groups,” Narducci said.

The graphs in the survey show that for the sixth grade, meth use hovers under 1 percent of all sixth graders for Stephens County in 2006 and 2008. But by the time they reach the 12th grade, the percentage jumped in 2006 to about 7 percent of all 12th graders.

In 2008, however, the percentage of 12th graders who have ever tried meth decreased to about 4 percent.

Alcohol on the other hand was used by about 20 percent of all sixth graders and then jumped to a staggering 80 percent of all 12th graders.

But these statistics do not take away the seriousness or devastation of meth.

“Meth is so sensational because meth destroys, so we tend to focus on it,” Narducci said. “Even if it isn’t necessarily the biggest problem.”

As the drug free chair, Narducci is responsible for helping the aftermath of the Crystal Darkness campaign in January to take permanent hold in Stephens County.

On July 10, Narducci’s desire will start to come to fruition with the first community wide forum sponsored by the Drug Free Community, which will create and adopt an action plan to fight whatever substance problem is the main concern for the community. Narducci, however, will not lead that event.

“As a facilitator you do not get involved in the content,” he said. “I want to have a say on what plan is adopted.”

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