Methamphetamine abuse contributed to a record number of deaths in the San Diego area last year, according to a government study released Monday.
The San Diego County Methamphetamine Strike Force report reveals there was a total of 377 meth-related fatalities that occurred locally in 2016, with an average of one death every 23 hours. The tally was the highest in a single year and 66 more than in 2015.
"The trend line is very alarming and continues to head in the wrong direction," said Dianne Jacob, chairwoman of the county Board of Supervisors. "Meth is taking a terrible toll on more and more San Diego families, and we must step up our efforts to fight this killer and connect more people with treatment programs."
The highly addictive and often deadly narcotic is being manufactured and smuggled into the country by Mexican drug cartels. Today, most of the methamphetamine in San Diego County comes from south of the border.
In addition to prosecuting smugglers, some of whom use children to transport methamphetamine, law enforcement is focusing on dealers who distribute the drug in local neighborhoods. Prosecutors review overdose death cases, identifying the involved dealers and holding them accountable for their actions when someone dies, and programs like Drug Court, Veterans Court and Homeless Court offer abusers avenues for getting clean and sober.
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