Statewide Iowa — The Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy has released its strategy for addressing issues in the next year.
Director Dale Woolery says there are problems, but the state is in better shape than many others.
Federal studies show Iowa ranks 6th lowest in the nation in the rate of total illicit drug use, and fifth lowest for drug overdose deaths.
Alcohol-related deaths rose 26 percent to a record 836. He says there are a lot or things contributing to the increase in alcohol and drug overdose deaths.
Woolery says the COVID pandemic also had a major impact.
He says the problem was made even worse during the pandemic as the service providers who address the issues were shut down.
Woolery says all these things ended up being deadly in some cases.
Woolery says their plan for the next year is to use a comprehensive range of substance abuse prevention, substance use disorder treatment, and drug enforcement responses.
