Marijuana destroys lives, but Vermont drug rehab can help.

Marijuana — both domestically grown and imported — is “the most widely abused drug” in Vermont, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Vermont’s two interstate highways, I-89 and I-91, terminate at the U.S./Canada border — making Vermont a favored route for those smuggling high-quality hydroponically-grown Canadian marijuana into the United States. While tractor-trailers sneak marijuana into Vermont on the highways, other smugglers transport pot into the state by crossing the border in remote areas while wearing drug-filled backpacks.

Today’s marijuana is considerably more potent than what hippies smoked a generation ago, and there’s documented medical evidence that pot can be harmful. Marijuana smoke, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, contains some of the same cancer-causing compounds as tobacco, and sometimes in higher concentrations. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.

In addition to the health consequences of marijuana addiction, many pot addicts end up in jail. In 2006, 1,758 of the 2,637 total drug arrests in Vermont involved marijuana, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Sometimes growing marijuana is what gets Vermonters in trouble with the law, as the DEA raided more than 1,700 marijuana plants in Vermont in 2006.

Vermont drug rehab offers a new life to cocaine and crack addicts.

Cocaine addiction is a significant problem in Vermont, and among young adults, use of cocaine in The Green Mountain State is rising. According to the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, about 9.7% of Vermonters aged 18-25 reported using cocaine in the past year in 2002-2003. Five years later, that percentage had increased to 10.5 percent of young adults in Vermont using cocaine. Crack cocaine is also readily available in Vermont, according to the DEA — particularly in the areas of Burlington, Rutland, and Barre. DEA agents seized 1.4 kilograms of cocaine in Vermont in 2006.

Among those receiving substance abuse treatment at state-funded Vermont drug rehab centers, cocaine addiction and crack addiction is becoming increasingly common. There were 231 cocaine/crack clients in Vermont drug rehab in 2000. By 2009, that number had nearly doubled to 455 cocaine/crack clients.

Those who enter drug rehab in Vermont because of cocaine are often making a life-saving decision. Without treatment, cocaine users run the risk of a fatal overdose, and even if such an overdose doesn’t happen, there are other serious health consequences of cocaine addiction, such as heart attacks, stroke or constricted blood vessels.

Don’t let these horrible things happen to you or your loved one — get help today by calling American Addiction Centers at 877-417-6237.

No matter where in Vermont you live, there’s a drug rehab that’s close.

Vermonters who need drug rehab shouldn’t have to travel great distances to get well — and with American Addiction Centers, our Vermont drug rehab centers are located in or near all of Vermont’s ten largest cities:

• Burlington (pop. 38,531)
• Rutland (pop. 17,046)
• South Burlington (pop. 16,993)
• Barre (pop. 9,128)
• Essex Junction (pop. 8,841)
• Montpelier (pop. 8,003)
• St. Albans (pop. 7,476)
• Winooski (pop. 6,353)
• Newport (pop. 5,207)
• Northfield (pop. 3,157)

Prescription drug abuse is reaching epidemic proportions in Vermont.

Drug rehab in Vermont is helping an increasing number of addicts hooked on prescription pills such as OxyContin and hyrdrocodone. In 2009, for example, OxyContin and methadone each contributed to the overdose deaths of 15 people — while heroin contributed to only five deaths, according to the Vermont Department of Health.

Ed Haak, medical director of the department of emergency medicine at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, told the Burlington Free Press newspaper about some of the pill addicts he’s encountered. “I had a patient not too long ago that came in,” Haak said. “It was amazing. In three months, he had been to 15 different doctors, 12 different pharmacies, and he had given an address in eight different locations. That’s probably not someone who’s just dealing with chronic pain.”

To help combat this growing pill-popping epidemic, state leaders in Vermont have established an online database of prescriptions filled by pharmacies to prevent people from visiting multiple doctors to obtain the same medication. That database alone, however, isn’t enough to stop the disturbing trend of prescription drug abuse in Vermont. According to the DEA, pill dealers sometimes stock up on thousands of OxyContin pills in places like New York, then these dealers travel to Vermont to sell them.

Many young adults in Vermont need drug rehab.

Teenage alcohol use in Vermont is the highest in the nation, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Binge drinking among teens in Vermont is also extremely common, with Vermont ranking second among all 50 states. These rankings represent a significant jump from federal government’s previous survey, where Vermont ranked eighth in both categories. The number of clients aged 18-24 entering state-funded Vermont drug rehabs has also been rising dramatically in recent years, from 1,480 in 2000 to 2,456 in 2009.

If you who suspect your son or daughter needs adolescent drug rehab, the caring Treatment Consultants at American Addiction Centers can guide you through all your options, including an intervention that can help steer your child into treatment. Call us today at 877-417-6237.

Additional resources:

Burlington Free Press — Prescription Drug Abuse

Drugfree.org – Prescription Drug Abuse Becoming Crisis in Vermont

Vermont Department of Health – Underage Drinking

No matter your insurance, be it Cigna, Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross / Blue Shield (BCBS), Assurant, Unicare, United Health Care, Anthem, Carefirst, Asuris Northwest Health, Golden Rule, Celtic Insurance, Fortis, Health Net, Kaiser, Vista, Shelter, Wellpoint, Tri Care, Accordia or even Medicare, and state insurance – we can help you find what you need in your state. We also offer many affordable self pay options for addiction treatment in Vermont.