Iowa has low rate of illegal drug use, but challenges remain

Iowa has the third-lowest rate of illegal drug use in the nation, according to the state's drug czar.

That's the good news, said Steve Lukan, Iowa's drug policy coordinator and director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy. The bad news, he added, is there are a few potentially “ominous signs” on the horizon that need to be addressed to maintain that status.

“Thanks to the good work of many people, Iowa continues to make progress to prevent and reduce substance abuse and the many dangers associated with it,” Lukan said in submitting a 2014 Iowa Drug Control Strategy to Gov. Terry Branstad and the Legislature that includes statistical summaries, as well as program and policy recommendations addressing priority needs.

“However, drugs still hurt far too many Iowans, and we must redouble efforts to address current and emerging drug threats to build a brighter future for our children,” he said in releasing a comprehensive report that outlines successes and challenges in Iowa.

On the positive side, Lukan said the number of substance abuse treatment clients employed full or part time increased from 41 percent upon admission to nearly 60 percent six months after completion of treatment.

Also, drug-related prison admissions dropped slightly last year compared to the year before, from 981 to 903, following three years of increases, he said. Monthly reports of meth-lab discoveries are down, the number of deaths due to opiate overdose involving prescription pain relievers and heroin declined from 62 in 2011 to 52 in 2012, and the rate of drunken driving arrests in 2011 dropped to 424 per 100,000 citizens -- the lowest level in a decade, he noted.

Turning to the negatives, Lukan said more-potent methamphetamine is being smuggled into Iowa in larger quantities, with the average purity of meth confiscated by law enforcement last year reaching an all-time high of 97 percent -- compared with 40 percent five years ago.

He also noted that the presence of illegal drugs in a child's body and manufacturing meth in the presence of a minor accounted for 1,181 founded child abuse reports in 2012 -- the highest level in five years.

Slightly more than half (51.2 percent) of Iowans receiving substance abuse treatment last year identified alcohol as their primary drug of choice, followed by marijuana (26.7 percent) and meth (13.1 percent. The marijuana treatment level marks a 20-year high, and meth treatment is at its highest level since 2006, he said.

The number of marijuana plants seized by law enforcement increased to 7,762 last year, compared to 9,824 for the previous three years combined, according to the report. Also, 36 percent of Iowa highway interdiction stops in 2012 that resulted in the seizure of marijuana involved marijuana from Colorado, a state that has legalized the drug -- up from 25 percent in 2011 and 10 percent in 2010.

The number of marijuana-related emergency room visits in 2012 totaled 932, or more than double the 455 recorded in 2006, he added. Similarly, the number of opiate-related emergency room visits in 2012 totaled 874 -- more than twice the 419 reported six years ago; and

“Marijuana is the subject of discussion in the U.S., but science tells us it is much more potent today than a few years ago, and that raw marijuana is not a safe and effective medicine.  In addition to being an addictive drug frequently misrepresented as benign, marijuana is a starter drug for many youth who go on to use other drugs,” said Lukan.  “The legalization movement in this nation sends a dangerous message when it claims marijuana should be more accessible, because it does so at the expense of youth who stand to suffer more from increased drug use.”

“Marijuana is the subject of discussion in the U.S., but science tells us it is much more potent today than a few years ago, and that raw marijuana is not a safe and effective medicine. In addition to being an addictive drug frequently misrepresented as benign, marijuana is a starter drug for many youth who go on to use other drugs,” Lukan said in a statement.

The state's drug czar outlined three goals he would like to achieve in Iowa: reduce the percentage of 11th graders who are current users of drugs and alcohol; reduce the number of Iowans who die from prescription pain medication overdose; and improve the percentage of Iowans who are employed post treatment.

To view the complete 2014 Iowa Drug Control Strategy, go to www.iowa.gov/odcp.

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