Drug abuse and alcoholism in Sacramento California

Sacramento, the capital of California, is the seventh largest city in terms of population, with figures of 463,794 as per the last census. The city has always been a prosperous one, and has a rich history that adds to its atmosphere. Sacramento has been progressively making contributions towards developing and employing clean energy methods and is also a center for education, which is evident from the high population of college students here.

Alcoholism and drug abuse in Sacramento, CA has been well tackled to some extent, especially among the youth. The rate of drug usage pertaining to new or first time users has come down considerably; however, this does not mean there is no substance abuse in Sacramento, California. Fed by many rural and urban domestic labs that manufacture many drugs, methamphetamines and cocaine remain the biggest problem in the city. More than 200 people are arrested for drug related offences every month in Sacramento, and DUI is also an issue that crops up regularly.

More than 30% of the college going population has been reported to consume at least alcohol once a week. Casual consumption of alcohol and cigarette smoking is also common among college students. Apart from this, Sacramento also has a large population of sportspeople who use some form of illegal steroid or prescription drugs. Illicit drugs are also popularly used by the young, even though growth trends have shown a slow decline in Sacramento narcotic abuse statistics.

Marijuana remains the most popular easily available illicit drug. The northern belt of California is home to many marijuana farms, thus making the substance easily available. Rural areas along the central belt of the state also have a fair share of meth and LSD labs, adding to Sacramentos drug woes.

Club drugs like ecstasy are also used occasionally by about 8-10% of the youth here. The central part of the city with its colleges is more prone to the availability of such drugs. There are also many prescription drugs that are used by working professionals and young adults such as Codeine cough syrups, Vicodin, OxyContin, and Promethazine.

Pure heroin, an extremely potent and serious drug threat, can be found here even though the number of new users for the substance is relatively small. Some neighborhoods like 29^th Street are also notorious for some of the crack producing gangs that exist in the city. The easy availability of cocaine in Sacramento is an issue that troubles the entire state of California.

Substance abuse in Sacramento, California is less of an issue as compared to the state, however. Around 27% of all incarcerated individuals in the city have been identified as positive for having some form of MDMA or other dangerous drugs like LSD, meth, and numerous forms of the rave drug ecstasy in their systems. Even though there has been a growing trend in this category of dangerous drugs overall, there have also been some good inroads into tackling alcoholism and drug abuse in Sacramento, California.