FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer de Vallance/Rafael Lemaitre (202) 395–6618
Monday, July 22, 2002
DRUG CZAR RELEASES PULSE CHECK SPECIAL TOPIC: IMPACT OF SEPTEMBER 11TH ON DRUG USE TRENDS AND AVAILABILITY
Treatment Admission Increases In New York City and Washington, D.C. After Terrorist Attacks
(Washington, DC)—John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, today released the biannual Pulse Check report on the latest trends in drug use. The report has a special focus on the effects of September 11th on drug abuse. The terrorist attacks had multiple consequences, including a reduction in illegal drug availability, an impact on trafficking routes, marketing strategies, and use patterns, and an increase in the desire for treatment.
Walters, the nation's Drug Czar, noted that out of the 20 sites around the country which report to Pulse Check, five reported increases in treatment admissions or demand for services, including New York City and Washington, DC.
Director Walters said, "The vicious attacks of September 11 took many victims. An increase in drug treatment admissions in the two metropolitan areas most affected shows one more consequence of the impact on America. But our response can likewise be detected. Enhanced access to treatment makes a positive difference in our nation's efforts to reduce drug use, while increased vigilance along our nation's borders resulted in substantial reductions in the availability of heroin."
President Bush has committed $1.6 billion over the next five years for drug abuse treatment. By stopping drug use before it starts, healing America's drug users, and disrupting the market for illicit drugs, the U.S. will meet our goal of reducing drug use by 10 percent over two years and by 25 percent over five years.
Another finding of Pulse Check was an increase in those seeking medication at methadone treatment programs due to OxyCodone diversion and abuse. Rising demand for this heroin substitute may have resulted from the temporary decline in the heroin's availability on the east coast after September 11th. OxyCodone is the most widely-cited emerging drug problem.
Among the findings reported by Pulse Check sources:
- After September 11th, availability of illegal drugs, particularly heroin, declined in 12 sites, apparently due to heightened security at U.S. airports and borders, according to law enforcement sources;
- Heroin has surpassed crack as the drug associated with the most serious consequences, and though males remain the predominate users, a rise in heroin use among females is a disturbing new trend. In four cities heroin use approached parity between the sexes;
- Marijuana continues to be the most widely-abused illicit drug, with some sites reporting it as the drug with the most serious consequences.
The Pulse Check report is based on discussions with epidemiologists, ethnographers, law enforcement officials, and treatment providers. The report collects data from more than 80 different sources and 20 sites across the country. A full copy of the report is available at: www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
