cannabisnews.com: Drug, Alcohol Use Skyrocketing in Nation's Capital





Drug, Alcohol Use Skyrocketing in Nation's Capital
Posted by FoM on April 17, 1999 at 07:39:31 PT
Source: SF Gate
WASHINGTON Illicit use of drugs and alcohol has reached crisis proportions in the nation's capital and must be dealt with quickly, Mayor Anthony Williams said Friday.
``We have to act now,'' Williams said. ``Left on autopilot ..., this is not a pretty picture.'' Drug and alcohol abuse costs the District of Columbia about $1.2 billion a year and accounts for most of the district's crime problems, Williams said. He cited a new report by Drug Strategies, a nonprofit research institute headquartered in the district, that said the district's annual per capita spending on the problem amounts to $42.50 on drug prevention and treatment and $1,257 on criminal justice. The report recommends the city spend a greater proportion of its drug-related funding on prevention and rehabilitation. Williams said he was willing to consider it but gave no specifics. According to the report, addicted prisoners are regularly released from the district's jails and halfway houses without getting necessary treatment. ``We know we're not getting ahead of the problem,'' Assistant Police Chief Terrence Gainer said. ``Just locking people up is simply not enough.'' The report found adult cocaine and heroin use rates in the district were twice the national average in 1993, the latest figures available. Current studies cited by the report show heavy drinking is 50 percent more prevalent among adults in the capital than among their peers nationwide, and alcohol-related deaths in the district are double the national rate. 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: