Columbus Treatment Centers

Columbus, OH, is a truly magnificent city, and one that is particularly attractive for businesses. Unfortunately, the state of Ohio also leads the nation in terms of deaths due to substance abuse overdoses, indicating that the state is also particularly welcoming for those in the business of drug trafficking. Of great concern is also the number of people who abuse experimental drugs, with various disastrous consequences.

There has been a consistent rise in the number of people who are admitted to detox and rehab facilities (a somewhat positive development), those arrested on drug and alcohol charges, and those tested for substance abuse. There has also been a significant rise of prescription drug abuse in families, street peddlers, and families. More and more mothers are giving birth to babies with addictions. In 2014, 6,918 drug users went through detox and rehab in Ohio as a whole. In terms of drug relief treatment, this represents just 0,39% of the population. There has also been a 53.5% drop in admittance rates. Yet, usage rates have rise by 16.5% in that same time period.

The Picture of Substance Abuse

The Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services has reported that there is a consistent demand for hallucinogens, prescription opioids, crack cocaine, cannabis, and heroin. Additionally, cannabis and heroin are increasingly available. Columbus has not escaped the heroin epidemic, with the substance being far cheaper than prescription opioids. It is believed that between 70% and 75% of all addicted people in Columbus use heroin.

Further statistics show that:

1. The most sold drug is black tar heroin.
2. Speed balling (mixing heroin and cocaine) is increasing.
3. Availability of medical and hydroponic cannabis is rising.
4. OxyCotin, described as 'legal heroin', is widely sold.
5. Prescription drug overdoses are the biggest killers of families.

In October 2011, Columbus officials held an intervention and made bath salts illegal. Yet, many head shops continue to sell these products to 'special' customers. Many combine bath salts and synthetic marijuana to emulate the effects of heroin. MDMA, meanwhile, is hugely popular with college kids, and 25% of all drug users are between the ages of 15 and 17. 47% are between the ages of 18 and 24.

Of extreme concern is the drug Fentanyl-A, also known as China white, murder8, goodfella, or dance fever. The Ohio Department of Health has stated that this synthetic drug, 50 times more deadly than heroin, has led to 502 people overdosing and losing their lives. Overdose rates have risen by 17.6% in total, and fentanyl kills more and more people every year, not in the least because it is now often mixed with heroin, often without the user being aware of it.

Columbus needs to make further interventions and make treatment such as detox and rehab more available. In 2016, there were 1,177 lethal heroin overdoses, a figure that was 983 in 2013. Meanwhile, 1,155 people died due to prescription medications, up from 726. Even the number of deaths as a result of cocaine has risen, which is something that is seen almost nowhere else in the country.