Montgomery County officials and community leaders are working to suppress an increasing substance abuse trend as synthetic drug use rises among younger residents.
The county already leads Texas in DWIs—from 2010 to 2016, Montgomery County had 180 DWI-related fatality crashes—according to the district attorney’s office. Of those, more than half involved an illegal drug.
“That number is continuing to increase each year, and that tells us that more people are abusing medicine and drugs,” said Tyler Dunman, Montgomery County assistant district attorney and special crimes bureau chief.
Additionally, Dunman said 60-70 percent of crimes committed in Montgomery County are tied to substance abuse.
Although county officials agree alcohol continues to be the most abused substance in Montgomery County because of its legality, marijuana, methamphetamine and synthetic drugs are also prominent. In 2016, Montgomery County had 82 overdose or drug-related deaths, Dunman said.
Drugs like methamphetamine are more popular in East Montgomery County, where the drug is easier to cook, officials said.
Synthetic drugs are easy to obtain and difficult to detect on drug tests, making them a popular substance, according to local officials.
“Synthetic drugs are dangerous, because no one knows what’s in them,” said David Hanna, affiliate manager at rehabilitation center The Right Step. “From one batch to the next, they’re completely different.”
Long-Term care
Evan Roberson, Tri-County Behavioral Health Care executive director, said the county is in desperate need of a detox facility and a residential substance abuse treatment center for medically indigent individuals.
While detox centers serve as a short-term solution for substance abusers to rid their systems of substances while they experience withdrawal symptoms, residential treatment facilities are typically 60-90 day programs.
“That residential component is huge, and it’s completely absent in Montgomery County,” Roberson said.
Hanna said another reason substance abuse treatment is lacking in Montgomery County is because drug use tends to be viewed as a criminal justice issue rather than a mental health issue.
“While some acts related to drug use are criminal, drug use itself is a mental health issue and needs to be treated as such,” Hanna said. “It’s negligent to use jail as the way to treat this problem.”
Roberson said patients at Tri-County Behavioral Health Care who have mental health issues tend to also have problems with substance abuse, and vice versa.
“By addressing the underlying drug abuse issues, pushing people to get help and educating the youth, hopefully, we can avoid the long-term issues,” he said.