Health officials from San Diego county released figures about meth use and fatalities in recent years. The news was not good.
The numbers were compiled by the Methanphetamine Strike Force and they reflect the five years between 2011 and 2015. They showed meth-related deaths went up in all but one of those years. The year 2015 had more deaths than any other — 311 fatalities.
Half of all adults arrested in San Diego county in 2015 tested positive for meth. That's up from 30 percent in 2011.
"We're also seeing a higher incidence of older meth users," said Jonathan Lucus, San Diego County's chief deputy medical examiner. "Fifty-six percent of all deaths in 2015 were people between the ages of 40 and 60."
San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob noted at the news conference that at least San Diego is no longer a major meth producer.
"The good news is that San Diego is no longer considered the meth capital of the world. But the bad news is the meth is flowing across our borders like never before," said Jacob.
A former meth user, called Shari, spoke at the news conference to say that although the drug ravaged her earlier life, she can offer a message of hope.
"I'm standing here as proof that you can recover," she said.
