Drug Treatment Facilities Losing Funding
An editorial in the New York Times revealed troubling news on drug abuse treatment in America. The editorial cited data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that stated 2,355 young adults between the ages of 15 and 24 died in 2005 from poisoning and drug overdoses. That is more than double the number of similar deaths reported in 1999. They also found research by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that said less than 10 percent of teens suffering from drug addiction receive the treatment they need. The editor reveals federal funding for state drug treatment facilities and programs are not required to spend any given amount of the money on teens or young adults.
Adding insult to injury, some states are even cutting funding for drug related prevention and treatment programs. In a letter to the editor, Victor A. Capoccia responds and expresses some concern about the reduced funding for substance abuse treatment programs: “. . . cuts like these mean that thousands more adolescents will have no place to go for treatment.” If more young adults are dying from addiction and less funding is available to treat them, how can we hope to resolve such a serious problem?
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