Louisiana Drug Statistics Facts Speak For Themselves

Drug abuse and addiction are widespread across the state of Louisiana. They affect the lives of the users, families and the communities as well. The people who use drugs may not even be aware that they are addicted because drugs are silent killers. They creep up on the abuser and slowly take away everything they have including belongings, jobs, family and friends. Some users may think that they have a problem, but are not strong enough to say so to anyone. The only effective way to stop the drug abuse is to fight it head on. As it stands, the drug war is not being won. In fact, Louisiana drug statistics speak for themselves that the need for a drug intervention is stronger than ever.

Drug statistics in Louisiana cover every drug that is present in the state as well as use of the drugs, production, availability and source. The current statistics show that crack cocaine, meth, marijuana and heroin are among the many drugs present in Louisiana.

Even though many drugs are brought into Louisiana by boat and airplane, the bigger issue when it comes to drug trafficking in the state are the complex highways located there. Drug traffickers of all nationalities including Hispanic and Caribbean use public as well as their own vehicles to move drugs into and through the state by use of these highways. These trafficking groups are also responsible for the wholesale amounts seen in the cities of Louisiana. Some are also known to be part of the retail distribution on a street level as well. Officials in Louisiana are focused on these drug cartels more than ever right now.

Crack is a drug that is derived from the powder form of cocaine. It is produced on the basis of need and sold in small retail amounts on the streets of Louisiana mostly by the African American drug dealers. Crack is highly addictive as it produces a very quick high and is relatively cheap when bought in small amounts. When crack is abused, it completely takes over the abuser and controls every aspect of their life. Regular needs such as bathing, eating and sleeping are no longer a priority for the crack user. They will often lie, steal and cheat to get their drugs as they are quite effective thinkers of ways to obtain the drug. The crack abusers sole drive in fact, is to obtain more crack at any cost. The crack user is often thought of as the person that will stoop to very low levels in order to get the drug. For instance, mothers have been found to sell their own children for a single rock of crack. Furthermore, there is often a high amount of violence associated with the use and sale of crack.

Many arrests are made each year in Louisiana for the involvement with crack. Louisiana drug statistics show that of all the federal arrests made in the state, at least 45% of them were related to crack. Crack use is increasing throughout the state too. It is easy to obtain and often transported in Louisiana. It is this increase in availability and transport that adds to the resident drug addiction. Officials in the state are most concerned with the spread of crack throughout the state because it brings with it mass destruction to residents, families and communities alike

Heroin fortunately, is not considered a very big concern in the state of Louisiana. Although, New Orleans has seen a big threat by this drug. This is due to the transport of heroin coming through Texas into the state through New Orleans causing the heroin abuse to skyrocket in the city. In fact, high purity heroin is very easy to get in New Orleans.

Heroin is a very dangerous drug. It is addictive as it is deadly to the abuser. The drug is used by means of smoking, snorting or injecting although, it is most often injected. There is not a very high rate of crime linked to heroin in Louisiana however, the spread of deadly infections like HIV/AIDS is very common when the drug is injected. The infections occur when needles are shared among infected users, which is a very dangerous habit.

Drug addiction is rising to be a serious problem in Louisiana. Law enforcement, families and community efforts seem to be without success and patience is worn thin. Although, there are drug treatment centers present in the state, Louisiana drug statistics show that many people are not utilizing the services of these drug treatment centers. During 2006 and 2007, there were around 98,000 people in the state of Louisiana who said that they were in need of drug rehab services although, they did not get the help they needed.

There are many reasons why a drug abuser might not seek help for drug addiction. The reasons include the lack of knowledge that treatment centers exist, fear of embarrassment or failure and the non-commitment to get drug free. The majority of the drug abusers fall into the category of embarrassment and fear. It is difficult for a drug abuser to accept that there is someone out there that they can trust because they have spent a long time not trusting anyone and literally running from everyone they know. The drug abuser needs to know that they can trust the staff at drug treatment centers. The staff only has a purpose to help the abuser get clean.

One big issue that is seen with Louisiana drug abusers is that the youth are found to be abusing drugs more and more often. This is very disturbing to parents and families when they find out that their young one is using drugs. Drugs dont play favorites though. Nobody is safe from the destruction that drug addiction causes.

If you are a drug abuser, you should know that there is a good chance that you can recover from your addiction. As a matter of fact, some rehab centers have seen success rates equal to around 75%. There are good people in the drug treatment centers that are dedicated to your recovery and a drug free life. It is also important to your lifelong health that you seek treatment right away so that you can have the best recovery chances possible.