XPost: talk.politics.drugs, or.politics, ca.politics
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
rural conservaturds are too cheap to take care of their own, so they do
ship them to big cities like Portland
Rural conservatives rely on government money more than anyone. Their own
tax base can't cover their essential needs like water, sewage,
electricity, roads and disaster aid. They spend most of their day
drinking moonshine and having sex with their kin.
Most of them are on Meth.
Meth use drives overdose epidemic in rural U.S. communities
Study reveals methamphetamine use is common, contributes to the national overdose epidemic in rural America
Methamphetamine remains a stubbornly prevalent illicit substance in large swaths of rural America, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and other institutions.
The findings, published today in JAMA Network Open, show that
methamphetamine remains a common drug and is driving overdoses in rural communities. About four of five people who use drugs in rural areas across
10 states reported using methamphetamines in the past 30 days, according
to the researchers.
That’s a huge problem that’s often overlooked, said the study’s lead
author from OHSU.
mmunities, methamphetamine use is pervasive,” said Todd Korthuis, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine (general internal medicine and geriatrics)
in the OHSU School of Medicine and head of addiction medicine at OHSU.
“This has been a West Coast problem for a long time, but now we see methamphetamine use in rural communities across the United States.”
The national opioid epidemic continues to dominate headlines and accounts
for the majority of the more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths recorded in
the United States last year, largely due to fentanyl. However, Korthuis
said it’s a mistake to overlook the impact of methamphetamine that
continues to grip rural communities across the country. Fentanyl now
frequently contaminates methamphetamine, Korthuis said. People may think they’re using only using methamphetamine, when in reality, they’re
unknowingly taking fentanyl — which is 50 to 100 times more potent than
heroin.
The new study confirmed that the risk of nonfatal overdose was greatest
among people using both methamphetamine and opioids; 22% of people using
both drugs reported experiencing an overdose in the past six months.
By comparison, 14% of rural people using opioids alone reported
experiencing an overdose in the past six months. Among people using only methamphetamine, 6% reported nonfatal overdoses.
“Co-use of methamphetamine and opioids is associated with a big increased
risk of overdose in rural communities,” Korthuis said. “Some people view
rural areas as immune to problems like drug use and overdose, but they’re
not.”
The study found a consistent presence of economic distress, including the
fact that 53% of the respondents reported being homeless in the previous
six months. The situation heightens the risk of so-called “deaths of
despair” — drug overdose deaths, suicide and disease linked to drug and
alcohol use.
“There are deaths of despair everywhere, but our rural communities have
been hard hit,” Korthuis said.
Treatment for substance use disorders works, but remains scarce in rural America: 40% of all survey respondents reported trying to access treatment
in the previous six months but were unable to get it. Among those using
both meth and opioids, 44% could not access treatment.
Additionally, naloxone can reverse fentanyl overdose, but is rarely given
to people using methamphetamine. Naloxone distribution should be expanded
to people who use methamphetamine, Korthuis said.
A total of 3,048 people participated in the Rural Opioid Initiative study
from January 2018 through March 2020. The survey enrolled participants in
rural areas with high overdose rates in 10 states, including Oregon,
Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
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