One in 10 youths booked into Juvenile Hall tested positive for methamphetamine last year, up from 4 percent in 2012, according to a new report released by the San Diego Association of Governments.
The 10 percent meth-positive rate is the highest in six years, but well off the 21 percent researchers found in 2005.
County officials keep a close watch on meth use. The numbers come at the same time that statistics released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that methamphetamine-related deaths rose for the fifth straight year in 2013, with 190 deaths blamed on meth, compared to 142 in 2012.
The regional planning agency based its youth findings on a relatively small sample – 13 tested positive and 121 did not – the survey turned up some disturbing figures.
Among SANDAG’s findings:
- 85 percent used meth even though they believed the drug was extremely bad or very bad for them;
- half found meth easy to get;
- those who tested positive started using the drug, on average, when they were 14 1/2 years old and used it more than 16 of the past 30 days;
- 85 percent of those who tested positive had arrest records, compared to 67 percent who weren’t using;
- 23 percent of meth users had suicidal thoughts compared to 9 percent of others;
- 54 percent of users had a history of running away, as opposed to 36 percent of non-users;
- 31 percent of those who tested positive for meth claimed gang membership, compared to 17 percent for non-users; and
- 54 percent of users sold drugs, while 36 of those who didn’t use meth sold drugs.
The study also found that youths using methamphetamine tried alcohol and marijuana at younger ages than those who did not use meth.
Also, SANDAG found that 92 percent of the young meth-users were boys and 85 percent were Hispanic.
– City News Service
