SE Iowa News

Meth use remains a problem and concern in Lee County, high-ranking law enforcement officials said.

Lee County Sherriff’s deputies tell WGEM that more than 90% of the cases they handle deal with meth.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) released in January its 2019 version of the National Drug Threat Report.

While the report does not provide state-specific statistics, it noted that overdoses killed 192 people per day in 2017, which is more than car crashes, gun deaths, murders or suicide.

“It just keeps rearing its ugly head every time we turn around more and more people turn up addicted to it,” Lee County Sheriff Stacy Weber told WGEM.

The concerns in southeast Iowa are reflective of a trend the 2019 DEA report found.

According to the DEA, the opioid threat remains at “epidemic levels,” with meth and cocaine use becoming more widespread.

“We’re pleased that in 2018, drug overdose deaths declined over four percent overall, with even greater decreases – over 13 percent – in overdoses from controlled prescription opioids,” DEA acting administrator Uttam Dhillon said in a statement on Jan. 30 about the release of the report. “Many challenges remain, however, including the spread of fentanyl and methamphetamine across the country.”