Update On The Drug Overdose Crisis: Meth Is Back With A Vengeance As Of March 2019

A 550% increase in meth-related deaths from 2010-2017 according to this article by Zero Hedge is real cause for concern.

From ZeroHedge.com:

 

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that opioid-related deaths are starting to plateau, officials fret a surge in methamphetamine-related deaths could contribute to the next leg up in the American drug overdose crisis.

There were 1,854 meth-related deaths reported in 2010. By 2017, more than 10,300 deaths were linked to meth and or chemically-similar psychostimulants, which is a 550% jump from 2010.

The DEA told the Journal that their drug-tracking system recorded 347,807 law-enforcement meth seizures submitted to labs in 2017, a 118% increase from 2010. The recent inflow of meth into the U.S. has made it more affordable and easily accessible, the agency warns.

Officials say Mexican cartels are shipping more meth than ever into the country, mostly through ports of entry.

Read the full article here

This excerpt from the above article shows even public officials know we need more effective interventions. Government force and deterministic policies removing individual free will from the equation just doesn’t seem to be cutting it, as the numbers clearly show.

“On the West Coast, authorities in San Francisco are not just battling record homelessness, but also an alarming increase in meth overdoses. “Without more effective interventions, mentally ill and meth-addicted individuals will continue deteriorating on our sidewalks, in our emergency rooms and in our jails,” city supervisor Rafael Mandelman said in a press release.”

For more information on harm reduction please check out the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition