Rusty's House in the News
Ohio Reports on Recent Drug Trends: Cocaine and Meth Use Down, Prescription Drug Use Up, Heroin Use High but Unchanged
Columbus, OH -July 16, 2009) – Prescription drug abuse continues to be more entrenched in communities across Ohio, while cocaine and methamphetamine use has waned slightly. Those findings and more are encapsulated in the latest 80-page“Surveillance of Drug Trends in the State of Ohio” report generated by the Ohio Substance Abuse Monitoring (OSAM) Network -- a research partnership among the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS), Ohio’s state government authority for the prevention and treatment of drug addiction, Wright State University and the University of Akron.
OSAM provides timely information on emerging drug trends across the state of Ohio largely by interviewing active and recovering drug users, treatment professionals, law enforcement officers and crime lab personnel, and providing treatment community and policy makers with the information necessary to plan for addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services. OSAM's findings are published twice yearly in comprehensive reports and are available on the ODADAS website:(http://www.odadas.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODADAS/ODADASPrimary.aspx?page=4&TopicRelationID=98&Content=5342) to read the full text of the latest OSAM-O-GRAM or to view the OSAM archive. OSAM-O-GRAMS can be found under “News.”
The report summarizes data collected from June 2008 to January 2009 by regional epidemiologists in the Athens, Akron/Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown areas.
“While we are encouraged to see a downward trend with cocaine and methamphetamine use, we continue to maintain concern with the alarming proliferation of prescription drug abuse and the relatively high availability of heroin,” commented ODADAS Director Angela Cornelius Dawson. In responding to these public health concerns, Director Dawson said, “Our goal must at all times be to help reduce the stigma that underlies the disease of addiction, no matter the drug of choice, so as to ensure prevention, treatment and recovery support services remain well-funded and accessible to all who need them.”
In response to the ongoing abuse of prescription drugs and opiates in Ohio, ODADAS launched in January of this year, an Emerging Drug Trend Workgroup made up of alcohol and other drug treatment and prevention professionals, medical professionals, law enforcement, and education and health professionals. ODADAS, along with the Ohio Department of Health and the Ohio Pharmacy Board will be collaborating over the next year within this workgroup to determine the best possible outcomes to minimize the current prescription drug and opiate abuse in the state.
On the rise Opana® and Suboxone® rates are increasing in Athens, Cincinnati and Dayton; oxycodone and hydrocodone rates surge in Columbus and Cleveland; Subutex® emerges in Cleveland, Dayton and Toledo. Similar to heroin, abuse of these drugs continues to be most prevalent among young whites. Some illicit users indicated Opana® and Opana Extended Release® surpass OxyContin® (oxycondone controlled release) in terms of desirability.
Xanax® and other benzodiazepines are identified as a growing problem in Akron, Athens, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown. Most indications of abuse appear to be associated with people who are dependent on opioids for purposes of self-medication to prevent withdrawal. Given the expanding use of Suboxone® among treatment providers and private physicians around the state for opioid detoxification and maintenance, more research is needed to understand diversion of this important medication.
Piperazine, a relative newcomer in these reports, is gaining ground in Athens, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus. And Ritalin® and Adderall®, drugs commonly prescribed to treat Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder in children are being abused at increasing levels in Athens. Treatment providers have noted an increase in the injection use of oxycodone, Suboxone® and Subutex®.
Reports of users transitioning from pharmaceutical opioid abuse to heroin initiation proliferate, although heroin initiation without previous exposure/dependence on pharmaceutical opioids is increasingly reported, too.
No significant change The August 2008 OSAM-o-GRAM first alerted the public to a sudden spike in heroin availability and use. This trend remains unchanged in all regions of the state, with the exception of Columbus, where it is reported to be in moderate decline.
Generally, Ecstasy usage remains high across the state with the exception of Dayton. Marijuana continues to be high in availability and use (with the exceptions of Cincinnati and Toledo). However, epidemiologists report that it is now being used frequently in conjunction with cocaine, PCP, embalming fluid and cough syrup.
On the decline Research points to a marked decrease in the use of crack and powder cocaine in all regions except for Columbus in which the use of crack cocaine remains moderately high.
Across all regions, methamphetamine use is declining. Methamphetamine lab busts have reportedly increased during the past 6 months, but regional epidemiologists did not report increases in methamphetamine users seeking treatment. Methamphetamine users remain difficult to access, in part due to the stigma associated with abuse of this drug.
LSD use is waning statewide. Columbus is the only area in which heroin use is decreasing, though usage rates remain high.
Media Contacts: Amanda Conn Starner, ODADAS Chief of Communications, 614-644-8456 or connstarner@ada.ohio.gov or Eric Wandersleben, ODADAS Communications Manager, 614-728-5090 or Wandersleben@ada.ohio.gov.
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