Federal Government Targets Meth Use
On this national Methamphetamine Awareness Day, the federal government has announced 300 thousand dollars to fight meth abuse among American Indians. But one local expert says the government’s plan is off base.
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(Sacramento, CA)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Federal officials say American Indian communities have rates of methamphetamine abuse substantially higher than other groups.
The Department of the Interior is launching a campaign, including billboards and public service announcements aimed at the Indian community, to warn of the dangers of meth use.
But Eduardo Duran, a Sacramento region psychologist who works with Indian tribes, says education isn’t enough:
We need to ameliorate the poverty and the hopelessness, and give other opportunities, so people can have a good life without having to resort to addiction.
Duran says high unemployment, poverty and other social ills are rampant on many Indian reservations and can cause American Indians to turn to meth.