County’s Drug & Alcohol Plan Stresses Prevention

Working with local schools, the county jail and other entities, the Potter County Drug and Alcohol Program has made significant strides in one of its top priorities: prevention. At the same time, D&A officials are concerned about new trends in the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, as well as limitations in treatment options for those with addiction issues. Those are among the conclusions of the D&A program’s 2009-10 annual report, recently released Potter County D&A Administrator Colleen Wilber.

The report tracks substance abuse trends and reveals that alcohol abuse accounts for about 55 percent of referrals, followed by marijuana/hashish at 23 percent. One area of concern is the growing use of cocaine/crack, from just over 1 percent of referrals to more than 8 percent over the period of one year.

Copies of the report are available for review at Potter County Human Services in Roulette or the Potter County Commissioners office in the Gunzburger Building.