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Tonya Papanikolas ReportingUtah is among the states that sees the highest number of people in treatment programs. The state says more women are turning to the drug.
Last year we had more than 5,000 people enter treatment programs, saying meth was their drug of choice.
Melanie Malloy, Former Meth User: "When I couldn't keep up with everything, I started doing meth to give me more hours in the day. I would stay up a couple days at a time, but eventually it led me to suicidal thoughts."
Melanie Malloy is currently in the House of Hope substance abuse treatment program. She says meth temporarily made her forget her problems, but she ended up losing her 15-year marriage and custody of her kids. She also ended up homeless.
A new national study says the number of people seeking treatment for meth abuse more than quadrupled from 1993 to 2003. Utah was the sixth highest state in that category. State officials say the drug first became popular in the west because it was easy to make here.
It used to be that more people entering substance abuse treatment programs in Utah had problems with alcohol, but now they're really dependent on illicit drugs, especially meth.
Of those patients, meth has grown from the last choice to the top choice of drug, surpassing marijuana, heroin and cocaine. And women are taking more of the drug.
Brent Kelsey, Utah Div. of Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services: "For the first time ever, last year meth was the primary drug of choice for women in our treatment system."
While 21-percent of men in treatment said meth was the drug they used most, 38-percent of women said the same. The state says that's because women turn to the drug to get energy, and they use it as an appetite suppressant.
