There is finally some good news on San Diego County’s battle against prescription drug abuse.
After two years of consecutive increases, the number of prescription drug-related deaths in San Diego County dropped in 2013.
The latest Prescription Drug Abuse Report Card revealed fatalities due to prescription medications decreased from 268 in 2012 to 259 last year.
“Our efforts to reduce access to and increase awareness of the prescription drug problem in San Diego are paying off,” said Supervisor Dave Roberts at a news conference for the release of the report card Friday.
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“Ensuring public safety is one of the primary roles of county government. That’s why the County Board of Supervisors established the Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force six years ago,” added Roberts, who was joined by Sheriff Bill Gore, Chief Deputy District Attorney David Williams, County Health and Human Services Agency Director Nick Macchione and Tom Lenox, Supervisory Special Agent, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration—San Diego Division.
In addition to deaths, the report card tracks eight other indicators of prescription drug abuse in the region. The report card also showed decreases in the following areas between 2012 and 2013:
- Percent of adults seeking treatment for painkiller addiction (4.7 percent in 2012 vs. 4.5 percent in 2013).
- Percent of juvenile arrestees who reported abusing prescription drugs (40 vs. 37).
- Pharmacy store burglaries and robberies (8 vs. 5).
- Prosecutions of prescription drug fraud (117 vs. 90). Percent of 11th graders reporting prescription drug abuse (19.6 percent in 2011 vs. 17 percent in 2013).
“The number of juveniles who are arrested and admit abusing prescription drugs continues to be a problem. But we saw some improvement on that front,” said Sheriff Gore. “Also, the number of pharmacy robberies the lowest since we began tracking them.”
Criminals who commit fraud or other crimes related to prescription drugs continue to be aggressively prosecuted.
“While fraud related to prescription drugs is down, we’re still filing more than 1,000 criminal cases that involve prescription drugs each year,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Williams. “That’s why it’s so important that we continue our efforts on both prosecution and prevention.”
The County and its multiple partners have been addressing the prescription drug abuse problem in the region for several years. In 2008, the County Board of Supervisors established the Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force, which includes the County Sheriff’s Department, the District Attorney, the Health and Human Services Agency, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and multiple other law enforcement, treatment and prevention organizations.
The group has achieved some progress, but prescription drug misuse and abuse continues to be a problem in some areas:
- The number of emergency room visits because of painkillers went up (from 3,278 in 2011 to 3,791 in 2012).
- The percentage of adult arrestees who misuse prescription drugs also rose (from 39 percent in 2012 to 43 percent in 2013).
- Prescription drug misuse continues to fuel heroin abuse.
- Last year, 24.8 percent of people entering treatment was due to heroin abuse and 86 heroin deaths were reported. That is 12 more heroin deaths in 2013 compared to the previous year.
“What is happening is that prescription drug users are turning to heroin when painkillers become harder to find or more difficult to pay for. Heroin is easier to get and cheaper too,” said HHSA Director Macchione, adding that preventing drug abuse and getting people into treatment is one of the goals of the County’s Live Well San Diego initiative.
The County funds prevention and treatment services throughout the region. Treatment is available by calling the County’s Access and Crisis Line at (888) 724-7240.
Prescription drug take-back events and collection boxes at all Sheriff’s stations and substations and some police departments have also netted more than 88,000 pounds of prescription drugs. That is more than 44 tons.
The Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force and its many members will continue gathering data to monitor trends and the effectiveness of their combined efforts.
“We will continue working together to reduce the motivation to use and to decrease access to prescription drugs,” added Macchione. “We all play a role in preventing prescription drug abuse. Remove unused medications from your home. Talk to your children, friends and neighbors about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs.”
People are also encouraged to report drug activity in their community to their local police department or sheriff’s station. They can also call Prescription Drug Hotline at (877) 662-6384.
