Salem, Oregon:
Drug Abuse
Salem, Oregon: Alcohol and Drug Addiction Information
Salem, Oregon, population 136,924, is located in Marion County and is the capital of the state.
Salem is located in the center of the Willamette Valley along the Willamette River which runs through the city. State government is the largest employer of the city. The economy is fueled by the local farming community and is an agricultural food processing center. These days, farms in Oregon include marijuana growers with about ten licensed medical providers in Salem’s vicinity and many more illicit grows.
Salem is home to dozens of museums and art galleries, venues for the performing arts, vineyards and wineries, parks for recreation and offers several annual events including the Oregon State Fair.
Salem tends to rate higher than the National Average in crime rates including burglary and car theft. Salem continues to also have an ongoing drug problem involving more drugs than just marijuana.
Salem Oregon’s Drug Source
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that marijuana, the most abused illegal drug in Oregon, is readily available. Its abuse, cultivation, and trafficking are a significant threat. Medical marijuana initiatives within the state have created additional challenges as local producers use these laws to conceal their illegal activity.
For example, a medical grower may harvest a crop far larger than his medical authorization permits and sell the remaining drug on the black market.
In 2015, recreational marijuana became legal in Oregon, further complicating matters. In addition to drugs grown locally, Caucasian, Asian, and Mexican drug trafficking organizations are involved in the transportation and distribution of marijuana from sources out of the area.
While a less prominent drug, cocaine is available throughout Oregon. While the powder form is most prevalent, crack cocaine is found in some urban areas. Mexican traffickers dominate wholesale distribution, transporting the drug from Mexico, California and southwestern states.
The most common form of heroin encountered in Oregon is Mexican black tar heroin. Mexican drug trafficking organizations primarily control the transportation and distribution of Mexican black tar and brown powdered heroin into and throughout Oregon, with Mexican street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs involved to a lesser extent. Black tar heroin is produced in Mexico and transported from the southwest border states directly to Oregon.
Methamphetamine abuse, trafficking, and manufacturing occur in Oregon. Methamphetamine is the greatest threat to domestic peace and prosperity in Oregon.
Oregon restricts the sale of cough medications containing pseudoephedrine so there are few domestic labs within the state. The drug mainly comes from Mexico or from large labs located in the Central Valley of California. In the past, powder methamphetamine was most common. Recent seizures show a switch to the more addictive and potent form of meth referred to as “ice” or “crystal meth.”
MDMA (4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), Ketamine, and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) are available in varying quantities and are generally abused at social venues in more populated areas and on college campuses.
Club drugs enter Oregon from a variety of sources: MDMA from Canada, Ketamine from Mexico, and GHB and LSD from California. Laboratory seizures indicate some local GHB and LSD production. GHB is also obtained from Internet sources. PCP and Psilocybin mushrooms are generally available on and around cities with a college student population. The new synthetics also harm Oregonians with their dangerous unpredictable effects.
In the United States, prescription drugs are the second most abused drug by youth. The primary methods of diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals continue to be illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians, illegal distribution by pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, and drug thefts from pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals.
Pharmacy burglaries are prevalent throughout the state and Diversion Investigators are also encountering pharmaceuticals that have been purchased via the Internet without a doctor’s prescription.
The Dwindling Spiral Will Continue
Families in Oregon who discover the drug abuse problem of a loved one will usually search for drug rehabs in the area.
Of the ten or so choices around or in Salem, all are either outpatient only or rely on the use of methadone or buprenorphine as opioid substitutes for the drugs the addicted person was taking before rehab. These should not be the only choices.
In the city of Salem, there is an increased need for effective drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment centers as drug and alcohol use continues to escalate. The influx of heroin into cities across the country makes it urgent for the addicted to find help as soon as possible.
Choosing a Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment Program
Before selecting a drug rehab, a family should decide what result they want from drug rehab.
Do they want a person “maintained” on a permanent dose of methadone or buprenorphine (brand-named Suboxone or Subutex)?
On the other hand, many rehabs send a recovering person home with prescriptions for anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants or stimulants after diagnosing some mental illness in the person.
When a family really wants their loved one to enjoy a productive life without reliance on drug use, then they must ask the questions to ensure they have a rehab that will match that goal.
Should the Drug Rehab Location Matter When It Comes to Finding a Solution to Addiction?
When a person goes to rehab in their own town, it can be a perilous journey to sobriety. Stories abound of drug dealers stopping by rehab to visit a person or waiting for them to get out and then hitting them hard before they can even get their feet on the ground.
Many families wisely choose to send a loved one out of the area for rehab. This is therapeutic for many reasons, not the least of which is the breath of relief the family can take as their loved one enters rehab in another state. For once, they can answer the phone without dreading what the caller will say. A knock on the door won’t be the police telling them of an overdose or an accident.
The addicted person also feels relief to be far from home. For the moment, he does not have to face all the people he has harmed. His parents, spouse, siblings, good friends—he or she may have stolen from them and lied to them all. There are also people he has sold drugs to or purchased drugs from. There’s a parking lot where he was once arrested and the neighborhood his old drug dealer lives in and the apartment where his drug-using girlfriend still lives.
When he’s away, he gets to make a clean break from all these influences until his head is cleared, his viewpoint is sharper and he has improved his skills in facing and dealing with all the factors he left behind.
When rehab is complete and he has a full plan to re-enter his usual life, he will be far better equipped to face the people, places and situations he left behind.
Our program surrounds those in recovery with positive circumstances to increase their chances for a successful recovery. The vast majority of students entering our program are from out of state or from other countries.
Narconon New Life Retreat Helps END Addiction and Alcoholism FOR GOOD.
The rehab program at Narconon New Life Retreat is open-ended, meaning that there is no time limit. A person progresses at their own rate so that when they graduate, they have achieved the knowledge and skills to succeed.
The Narconon program steps are entirely drug-free. No drugs are ever given as part of the rehabilitation process. This is a social education model of rehabilitation, therefore, no mental conditions secondary to their addiction are ever diagnosed. The focus is on repairing the damage from the drinking or drug use, cleaning up the body to help with cravings and educating in new patterns of thinking and living.
A Narconon Program Graduate is someone:
- Who has completed all phases of the Narconon drug rehab program
- Who understands what types of people worsen one’s chances of staying sober and what types make safe and reliable friends
- Who knows how to face and deal with problems in his life
- Who has found relief from the stresses, errors and harm done in the past
- Who knows how to resolve the situations he’s created with family, friends, employers and his community
Call anytime to speak with one of our counselors about our program. We will take the time to answer your questions whether it be for yourself or a loved one.
It is possible to replace the loss and pain of alcohol or drug addiction with a productive, enjoyable life.
Call now.
