Indiana Drug Statistics Raising Concerns for Residents

People who have drug abuse problems are stuck in a never ending battle between life and death. They forget all the normal things that make a person seem human. Normal day to day tasks like eating and shopping can even be difficult for the drug user. Drug users also find it difficult to abide by the rules and have no inhibitions except to obtain more drugs for use. In the state of Indiana, drug users are becoming more and more common. Crime rates and drug related deaths are rising through the roof and as a result brings destruction to families, communities and peoples lives. Residents in the state of Indiana are far too familiar with this and look for resolution to the Indiana drug statistics.

There are different variances of drug use in Indiana. Variances depend on the area of the state. There are some major areas that are known to have high drug numbers. For instance, in the middle and North parts of the state of Indiana, there is a major issue with the presence, sale and use of crack, which is a hardened form of powder cocaine. However, in the southern and middle areas of the state, there is a huge concern with the use of methamphetamine. This is due to the rise in meth labs that are present there. Additionally, heroin is more obtainable in urban parts of Indiana and cannabis is the number one used drug throughout the whole state. Even so, marijuana is not as high on the concern list as cocaine is.

The primary way that these drugs are getting into Indiana is through the Mexican drug trafficking organizations. They transport the cocaine, meth and heroin into the state. These drugs are transported out of other states like California after they are smuggled across the border from Mexico. Even though the Mexican groups are the largest transporters, Other races like African Americans are also sources of drug transport into the state. Once the drugs reach Indiana, they are then sold to street level gangs and dealers in the state.

Street gangs are the direct link to the Indiana drug statistics increase. This is because they are the ones that are selling to the residents and promoting drug abuse in the state. In fact, there is a rise in the amount of gangs in Indiana as well. During the year 1999, there were 190 police departments who participated in a survey that reported that 87 of them had gang activity in their area. These numbers increased from the previous year.

With the rise in gang activity in Indiana, there is a also a rise in the amount of drug related activities seen in the state which is linked to the violent crimes seen as well. Particularly the distribution of drugs by the gangs plays a major factor in the youth gang violence. In the year 1999, there was an increase in the numbers for the drug related crimes associated with juveniles. Actually, reports tell that the majority of drug related crimes in the state were committed by juvenile gang members.This is highly due to the fight for control over drug selling territories or turfs. Furthermore, there are between 1,000 and 2,000 gang members who are involved in drug territory fights in the city of Indianapolis alone.

Even with the rise in the number of drug activities involving juveniles, reports say that drug abuse in the youth of the state has actually lessened overall. Cannabis, cocaine and pharmaceutical use all dropped in numbers reported by the Indiana drug statistics report during the years of 1998 and 1999. This drop was especially true with Indiana students in middle schools. Although, this decrease did not help much because Indianas young residents still use drugs in greater numbers than in the nation.

The use of drugs is a major threat to the society, residents and economic structure in the state of Indiana. There were in fact somewhere around 30,000 people living in Indiana who needed treatment for drug abuse in the year 1998. Drug abuse affects all walks of life. In 1996, there were pregnant women in Indiana amounting to 27,000 who went for the treatment of drug abuse. Also, there were 3 counties studied which had newborns who were found to have drugs in their systems in the amount of 5.6%. This means that Indianas mothers are using drugs throughout their pregnancy.

When it comes to Indiana drug stats, no one is spared. This is a shame because there are many things that can be done to try and prevent the use of drugs in the state. With the youth generation, awareness is a very big contributor to the prevention of substance abuse. This responsibility though, falls upon the parents. Parents are the first ones who teach their children and therefore should be the first ones to warn them of the dangers of drug use.

For the Indiana residents who already have drug abuse problems, there is help available to get off the drugs. Many residents just do not know that the help is out there. Sometimes the drug user knows about drug treatment centers but would rather not bother with them for the fear of embarrassment.

The truth is, drug treatment centers see people with drug addiction every day. There is no need to feel like you are alone or that treatment is a waste of time. It is actually the complete opposite of this. With advancements in treatment and dedicated staff, it is likely that you could be very successful at getting off the drugs. No one inside the center will look down on you either. The staff at the Indiana drug treatment centers are professionals and their goal is to help you, not further harm you like the drugs.

If you use drugs and you truly want help to quit them, you should contact a drug treatment center right away. The sooner your addiction is stopped, the better chance you will have of not suffering physical after effects later in life. Additionally you will live a fuller, more productive life with less chances of relapse.