Last updated : December 16, 2024
Arrests and incidents linked to drug use, including accidental overdoses, continue to keep law enforcement officials busy throughout the United States as they fight what seems to be an uphill battle. The United States Sentencing Commission handled 80,035 cases during the 2013 fiscal year, and 22,215 of those cases involved drug trafficking. In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported heroin overdose deaths were on the rise for the third consecutive year in 2013 and that overdose deaths resulting from all types of drugs rose six percent over the previous year.
In Georgia, law enforcement and emergency responders are faced with the mounting public threat associated with three specific drugs: heroin, synthetic marijuana and methamphetamine.
Heroin
Heroin is fast becoming the new drug of choice for teenagers and young adults who come from middle class families, changing the stereotypical image of poor junkies living on street corners. The story detailed the harrowing experiences of parents from two different families; one father worries daily about his teenage son, who has survived four overdoses, while one mother details the pain of losing her teenage son to a heroin overdose four years ago.
Further findings from the CDC that paint a different picture of the majority of people who die from a heroin overdose. About 15 years ago, this population largely consisted of older African Americans residing in either the western or northeastern part of the country. These days, those who die from a heroin overdose are typically young Caucasians living in the Midwest.
Synthetic marijuana
Another drug that has troubled lawmakers in Georgia is synthetic marijuana, a substance billed as incense or potpourri. This drug contains chemicals designed to deliver effects that mimic those of marijuana.
Getting around attempts to ban these products is as simple as changing the chemical compound enough so that the finished product does not fall within the list of banned substances. That’s a big concern for people like Georgia Poison Control Director Gaylord Lopez, who told the newspaper about the drug’s alarming side effects, like tremors, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness and convulsions that are seizure-like in nature.
Synthetic pot has since appeared on shelves at tobacco shops in liquid form. The new version of synthetic marijuana is consumed through the use of vapor pens, and because this method produces no odor or smoke, individuals can use it without being detected.
Methamphetamine
The United Nations named methamphetamine the most abused substance in the world. In 2000, the federal government noted that United States citizens spent about $5 billion on the drug, a figure that would come in at around $6.3 billion today when inflation is factored into the equation.
In Georgia, admissions into public treatment programs for methamphetamine addiction has risen steadily in recent years, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Treatment program admissions were up 5.2 percent in 2010, and by 2012, the numbers had increased by 6.4 percent.
