Admissions up on all drug fronts.

• Position: Methamphetamine Treatment - Brief Article

Admissions to substance abuse treatment involving methamphetamine and narcotic pain medications have increased sharply, indicate data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, Md. In a recent 12-month period, methamphetamine admits jumped 10%. Similarly, treatment admissions for narcotic pain medications as primary drug of abuse rose 12%.

"The alarming growth of methamphetamine use and, in part, its popularity can be explained by the drug's wide availability, ease of production, low cost, and its highly addictive nature," says SAMHSA administrator Charles Curie. "We are working to ensure that science-based treatments are available to those in need. People can and do recover from methamphetamine dependence with treatment."

"This reports shows once again the terrible harm that dangerous drugs like meth inflict upon our country," cautions John Waiters, director of National Drug Control Policy, Washington, D.C. "Addiction is a treatable...