Many Arrested Men Use Illegal Drugs But Don’t Receive Treatment

A study of men arrested in five major U.S. cities finds more than 60 percent use illegal drugs, but most do not receive treatment.

The report found positive drug test results among arrested men range from 62 percent in Atlanta to 86 percent in Chicago, USA Today reports. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), 70 percent had never been in any form of drug or alcohol treatment.

The 2012 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Annual Report, included data from 1,736 men in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York and Sacramento, who were drug tested within 48 hours of their arrest. Marijuana was the mostly commonly used drug among arrested men, showing up in more than half of drug tests, the report found.

In Sacramento, 40 percent of men tested positive for methamphetamine, while fewer than 1 percent of men in Chicago, New York and Atlanta tested positive for the drug. In Denver, 13 percent tested positive for meth.

Positive tests for opiates, including heroin and painkillers such as oxycodone, increased in Denver in Sacramento, but decreased in Chicago and New York.

ONDCP Director Gil Kerlikowske said the report shows criminal justice reform is needed. The report “confirms an urgent need to support policy reform outlined in the Obama Administration’s new drug policy strategy, which emphasizes prevention, treatment, and ‘smart on crime’ policies that break the vicious cycle of drug use, crime, and incarceration in America,” he said in a statement.