Statewide Iowa — (RI) — While a new report finds opioid use in Iowa is falling, methamphetamine use is back on the rise. Opioid-related deaths are down by nearly 50 cases statewide since last year, but more than 10-thousand Iowans got treatment for meth, the most ever.
Dale Woolery, interim director of the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy, says the renewed rise in meth abuse is disheartening.
Meth is a stimulant while opioids, in general, have a sedative effect. Woolery notes some people misuse both drugs and says policy efforts need to address all types of addiction. He says the drop in opioid abuse and overdose deaths is thanks to several simultaneous efforts.
Woolery says he’s hopeful the opioid epidemic will continue to improve.
