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Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Information in Concordia, Kansas

Overview of Drug and Alcohol Trafficking and Abuse in Concordia, Kansas

The Drug Enforcement and Administration (DEA) reported a decline in drug-related arrests from 2004 to 2005 and a steady drop of methamphetamine laboratory seizures from 2001 to 2005, marking an impact on drug abuse and trafficking in Concordia, Kansas. Substance abuse reporting has also been on the rise as various state agencies collaborate on prevention and treatment programs and a well executed information drive evidenced by an increase in admissions for the last couple of years.

Comparison of the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (NS-SATS) profiles of 2002 and 2005 revealed an increase in the number of rehabilitation facilities available to the people in Concordia, Kansas. The concentration of facilities was situated in Central and East Kansas areas. There was a slight decrease in the number of reported admissions of these rehabilitation facilities but there was an unfortunate increase in substance abuse by minors ages 12-17.

Drug and Alcohol Trafficking Information in Concordia, Kansas

Most drug-trafficking activities routed through Concordia, Kansas come from Mexico. Modes of transportation are usually via Interstate routes by car through Mexican family ties in the state. Some fly in under the radar by privately-owned or budget commercial planes. Asian drug-smuggling rings bring in predator drugs via Canada and into the state through Colorado. The collaboration of the DEA, Kansas state government, and concerned groups formed the following programs and initiatives for substance-abuse surveillance, prevention, and control:

Rural Initiatives

The prevention of the theft of anhydrous ammonia, a prime component in the manufacture of meth, became a key prevention strategy in meth surveillance and control. Farmers and rural folk were made aware of the danger signs and indications of illegal meth production. Profit agencies coordinated with the local authorities to create tamper-proof processes to ensure that the anhydrous ammonia deliveries into the state are well-documented and secured.

Mini-Grant Funds

Kansas rural and urban counties are awarded mini grants to fund prevention efforts initiated by state allowing them to continue prevention activities related to drug-trafficking. This funding ensures continuity of the effort and helps the community adapt programs to its needs and priorities.

Kansas Meth Watch Program

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, along with a group of Concordia, Kansas businessmen formed the program in hopes to prevent the illegal manufacture of meth by limiting product access of base materials used in its formation. This is by restricting purchase of these products in regulated quantities and only to those who are authorized to buy the products.

Operation Pipeline

The DEA and Concordia, Kansas law enforcement stepped up its efforts to control the interstate routes passing through the state to monitor drug-trafficking activities. Using advanced radar gadgets and utilizing specially trained K-9 units, they scour the state borders for drug trafficking. They also enforced strict immigration rules as to quell familial drug-trafficking ties within Concordia, Kansas.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Information in Concordia, Kansas

As with the rest of the United States, substance abuse is a precursor to socially destructible behavior. From the period of 2002 to 2005, there has been an increase in the incidence of both drug and alcohol abuse, which is an evidence of a degrading pattern in behavior of alcoholics. Some alcoholics resort to drug abuse after their relapse from alcohol rehabilitation. The top 5 drugs on the substance abuse watch list for the state of Kansas are methamphetamine, cocaine, heroine, predatory drugs, and marijuana.

Meth

Methamphetamine, more commonly known as meth, is the primary drug of concern for Concordia, Kansas. This is overtly due to the dangers of the drug being easily reproduced using household chemicals. Although illegal meth laboratories have decreased to as low as 375 by the end of 2005 after a series of seizures by the DEA and Kansas officials, their prevalence is still rampant, especially in Central and East Kansas.

Cocaine

Crack, as it is called in the streets, has the highest traffic throughout the state. As Kansas is right smack in the drug traffic corridor from Mexico to the eastern United States through the connections of Interstate 35 and Interstate 70, crack is easily distributed both in rural and urban areas of the state via small ethnic groups who locally distribute them in the neighborhood.

Heroin

Primarily brought into the state by Mexican drug-smugglers, low-purity heroin are sold in minute quantities mostly in Latino communities in Concordia, Kansas.

Predatory Drugs

Predatory drugs such as ecstasy (mthylenedioxymethamphetamine) and G (gammahydroxybutyrate) are still sporadically used in rave parties throughout the state. These predatory drugs are allegedly trafficked into Western Kansas from Colorado by Asian drug-smuggling rings and distributed throughout Concordia, Kansas. Its high toxicity in low concentrations, often leading to death, places it at high priority in drug-traffic surveillance for the state.

Marijuana

Marijuana is a highly trafficked drug in Concordia, Kansas and is widely distributed throughout the state. The source primarily comes from Mexico, although there are reports of marijuana links to sources from neighboring western states. Marijuana reporting and admissions accounts for 24.6% of substance abuse cases in the state.

Another rising drug risk is the abuse of the pharmaceutical drug OxyContin or oxycodone HCL. Oxycodone is an opiate-derivative narcotic analgesic drug often prescribed to patients with moderate to severe pain usually associated with cancer. It has been reported from county rehabilitation centers that there has been a significant increase of admissions referring to drug dependence. Risks include its low cost and black market distribution.

Approximately 66.8% of 14,133 reported cases of substance abuse are male. There is a high frequency of marijuana users under ages 12-17 topping at 800 reported cases. The risk of availability of drugs in the streets of Kansas according to the 2007 Kansas Risk Factor Profile is 32%. The youth has succumbed to the tempting beats and thrills of rave parties and high school and college peer pressure of fitting in that some resort to alcohol and drug abuse.

Types of Drug Rehab and Alcoholism Treatment programs in Concordia, Kansas

According to the NS-SATS profile done in 2005, there are about 225 rehabilitation and treatment centers situated in the metropolitan areas of Kansas since 2005. These are institutions specialized in addiction information, substance abuse treatment (short-term (28 days), long-term (6 months), and residential), drug detoxification, counseling, alcohol testing, crisis intervention and alternative medicine. Modalities include residential treatment centers, Twelve Step Program, Sober Living Program, Drug Treatment and Counseling, Behavioral Therapy, and among others. Private and non-profit rehab program facilities in the state counts in to 126 facilities. Government-owned rehabilitation centers account for only 37 facilities. The rest of rehabilitation centers in the state are for-profit agencies, which require patients to pay a considerable amount for an individualized rehabilitation program.

Concordia, Kansas has been doing a Herculean task in promoting drug abuse information and enhancing prevention strategies that show a decrease in locally manufactured drugs and an increase in the apprehension of drug traffickers passing through the state. Although a huge amount of resource and manpower will still be needed to eradicate the problem of substance abuse in the state, a few notches down in statistics that matter would mean a step closer to the goal.