Methamphetamine overview in Virginia
The level of meth abuse is low in the state of Virginia. The number of addiction treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities for meth abuse in Virginia fluctuated from the year of 1995 to 2000. According to state drug abuse data, addiction treatment admissions for meth abuse increased overall from 105 in 1995 to 192 in 1999.
Methamphetamine is abused at different rates throughout Virginia. According to responses to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2001, law enforcement officials in Culpeper, near the Shenandoah Valley, report that meth is commonly abused in their jurisdiction. Law enforcement officials in the cities of Arlington, Bluefield, Lynchburg, Salem, Virginia Beach, Wytheville, and Warren and Chesterfield Counties report that methamphetamine is sometimes abused in their areas.
Meth treatment admissions per 100,000 citizens (2003): 3
Even though methamphetamine is not as serious a problem for Virginia as cocaine or heroin, it is rapidly making inroads, especially in the rural Shenandoah Valley region, and the two indicators used to measure the growth of the epidemic, clandestine lab seizures and meth treatment admissions, show increases every year. During 2004, 75 labs were seized by DEA, state and local authorities, in comparison to 27 in 2003 and only 1 in 2000.
During 2004, 545 Virginians sought treatment for meth addiction, or approximately 0.9% of all individuals seeking drug abuse treatment, in comparison to 230 individuals in 2003 and only 86 in 2000.
Update:
The Combat Meth Act, signed by President Bush on March 9, 2006, gives minimum standards for retailers across the nation that sell substances containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine. The law limits sales to 3.6 grams of the base ingredient (the pure ephedrine or pseudoephedrine) daily and 9 grams per month, and requires that buyers provide identification and sign a sales log. Also, sellers must keep these substances behind the counter or in a locked case and register on-line with the U.S. Attorney General.
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