In 2008 in Porter County 23 people died of heroin or cocaine overdoses, nearly double the number who did in 2007, nearly as many who did in 2004, 2005, and 2006 combined, and by far the most in the last six years.

Yet as data released to the Chesterton Tribune by Porter-Starke Services Inc. indicate, drug-related mortality only hints at the larger problem in Porter County, where for every person who died of cocaine or heroin overdoses in 2008 more than nine received emergency-room treatment at Porter hospital.

The problem becomes more significant still when marijuana is factored into the equation. Last year three persons died marijuana-related deaths--typically the victims of motor vehicle or other accidents--while 103 more received ER treatment at Porter hospital.

Drug-related ER treatments are tracked by Porter hospital and provided to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which in turn has provided the data to Porter-Starke. Comparative data from years previous to 2008 were not immediately available.

The numbers:

*In 2008 128 people were treated in the Porter hospital ER for heroin overdoses. Of those the greatest number--65 or 52 percent--were between the ages of 25-34. Fully 40 or 31 percent, however, were between 18 and 24 and two were 17 or younger. Another 21 were 35 or older.

*In 2008 86 people were treated for cocaine overdoses. Of those 39 or 45 percent were between 25 and 34, but 17 or 20 percent were between 18 and 24. Five were 17 or younger and 25 were 35 or older.

*In 2008 there were 103 marijuana-related ER treatments at Porter hospital. Not surprisingly, the demographics of those treatments skews much younger. Of those 39 or 38 percent were between 18 and 24, while 31 or 30 percent were 17 or younger. Another 33 or 32 percent were 25 or older.

*In 2008 ER treatments for heroin and cocaine overdoses totaled 214, or 9.3 for every heroin- or cocaine-related fatality.

*In 2008 there were a total of 317 heroin-, cocaine-, and marijuana-related ER treatments at Porter hospital.

If there is any good news at all in the ER data, it would be this. Although the number of heroin treatments at Porter hospital among the population of persons 25 to 34 has increased, it has decreased among the population of those 18 to 24.

The mortality and ER data provided to Porter-Starke are only components in a much more comprehensive study of drug use and risk factors in Porter County, slated for release later this month and being conducted under the auspices of Valparaiso University.

In March the Tribune reported a finding of another component of that study, that in 2008 Porter County students self-reported a higher monthly use of alcohol, marijuana, Ritalin/Adderall, and MDMA (or Ecstasy) than did their cohorts statewide.

Other findings from that study, conducted by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center of Indiana University and based on a total of 10,260 surveys completed by sixth- through 12th graders in five of Porter County’s seven school corporations:

*High-schoolers self-reported a higher prevalence of monthly LSD use, annual amphetamine use, and lifetime narcotics use than their cohorts did statewide.

*Middle-schoolers self-reported a higher prevalence of annual tranquilizer use.

*Intermediate-schoolers self-reported a higher prevalence of annual psychedelic use.

Other data tend to reinforce the trend. Thus in 2008 237 students were suspended or expelled from Porter County schools for drug, alcohol, or weapons violations, slightly more than the 226 in 2007, slighter fewer than the 240 in 2006, but fully 48 or 25 percent more than the 189 in 2001, the highest number suspended or expelled between 2000 and 2005, during which six-year period an average of 153 students were suspended or expelled.

In other words, beginning in 2006 the number of drug-, alcohol-, or weapons-suspensions and expulsions spiked dramatically: from an average of 153 between 2000 and 2005, to an average of 234 between 2006 and 2008, a whopping increase of 53 percent.

One other set of data, on the other hand, shows some reason for hope. Drug and alcohol referrals to Porter County Juvenile Probation have begun to decline since a huge increase in 2006, when 703 students were referred, an increase of 233 or 50 percent over the 470 students referred in 2005. In 2008 549 students were referred, a decrease of 154 or 22 percent from the 703 referrals in 2006 and a nominal decrease from the 555 referrals in 2007.

Posted 6/18/2009