Drug Rehab Louisiana

Drug addiction in the state of Louisiana continues to escalate, creating the need for a greater number of quality drug rehab options. In choosing a Louisiana drug rehab program, an individual should seek out a program that has a proven track record in successfully treating drug addiction. The goal of a quality drug rehab in Louisiana should be to support the individual with a drug addiction in achieving long term abstinence. Choosing a Louisiana drug rehab can often be a difficult and somewhat confusing because of the various types of treatment alternatives that are offered, such as inpatient, outpatient, short term or long term.

Many individuals that are struggling with a drug addiction will often want to stay close to home for the drug treatment process, but that may not be the best available option. Very few individuals can maintain their sobriety when after short intervals of outpatient drug rehab, they are returning daily to the familiar setting where they used drugs regularly; this can be a recipe for failure. At a residential inpatient drug rehab facility, the individual will generally reside at the treatment facility and be given the opportunity to focus solely on the treatment that is being administered for their drug addiction. Drug addiction is a serious issue; a sense of urgency is needed in not only choosing the Louisiana drug rehab, but in getting the individual admitted to the program, so that they can experience the professional support of the staff at the treatment facility. By the time an individual has admitted to having a drug addiction and asked for treatment, the harmful effects of their drug addiction may have already taken a devastating toll on many aspects of their lives. A quality Louisiana drug rehab center will help the individual that is being treated for drug addiction to address all of these issues in a healthy, supportive environment.

• The Port of New Orleans is a major transportation hub and distribution center for illicit drugs in the state of Louisiana, because it is the second busiest container port on the Gulf Coast and the fourth busiest port in the United States.
• Outlaw motorcycle gangs distribute methamphetamine and cocaine in the state of Louisiana.
• The state of Louisiana has one of the highest incarceration rates in the United States. Over 30% the inmates in Louisiana are incarcerated for drug and alcohol related offenses.
• The most common way of trafficking drugs into the state of Louisiana is overland via private and commercial vehicles.
• Marijuana use is increasing throughout the state of Louisiana, especially among youth that are between the ages of 18-20. While cost and availability continue to be factors, many people that are buying and selling drugs in the state do not believe there is a high risk of being caught by law enforcement.
• Cocaine is widely used and trafficked in the state of Louisiana. Crack cocaine is by far the biggest concern to law enforcement, due to the high rates of violent crime throughout the state that is associated with the drug.
• Heroin is not a significant drug threat in the state of Louisiana, except for in the city of New Orleans.
• Methamphetamine (meth) labs are usually locally in the isolated rural areas of the state of Louisiana.
• Drugs such as cocaine and marijuana make up the bulk of the illicit cargo that is shipped to the state of Louisiana.
• Law enforcement agencies in the state of Louisiana continue to make large seizures of powdered cocaine.
• Methamphetamine arrest cases are now occurring throughout the state of Louisiana.
• Louisiana state law enforcement agencies have made a direct correlation between meth distribution and abuse and violent crime, particularly in the case of domestic violence, aggravated assault, and murder.
• In Louisiana, the diversion and distribution of oxycodone products has become a significant drug threat in the state, especially in the southern parishes.
• Cocaine is a predominant drug threat in Louisiana, mainly because it is widely available in both metropolitan cities and rural areas throughout the state.
• Marijuana is the most abused drug in Louisiana, and new indoor cultivation techniques have led to the availability of high-grade marijuana throughout the state.
• According to the latest data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 284,000 people that are over the age of 12 have reported using an illicit drug in the last 30 days.
• Treatment counselors and law enforcement throughout the state of Louisiana have reported an increase in the availability of club drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy), Ketamine, GHB and LSD.
• The abuse of pharmaceutical drugs throughout the state of Louisiana has increased dramatically over the last several years. OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax abuse continue to be a viable threat according to Louisiana Law Enforcement officials.
• Approximately 1.58 million of the citizens in the state of Louisiana have reported that the occasional use of marijuana is a "great risk".
• According to latest NSDUH data, 36,000 of individuals in Louisiana that are between the ages of 12-17 years old have reported using an illicit drug in the past month.
• Approximately 10% of Louisiana 12th grader that were surveyed in 2008 has reported that they have used prescription drugs illegally at least once during their lifetime.
• Methamphetamine production and distribution generates violent crimes and hazardous conditions in the state of Louisiana, according to law enforcement officials.
• Drug trafficking organizations in the state of Louisiana continues to be a significant component of the overall drug threat for the state.

If you or someone that you care about in Louisiana has a substance abuse problem, contact a Louisiana drug rehab facility and speak to a counselor who understands exactly what you are going through. Help for your drug addiction is just a phone call away.

Treatment Centers by City

Select a City:

• New Orleans
• Baton Rouge
• Shreveport
• Metairie
• Lafayette
• Lake Charles
• Monroe
• Slidell
• Houma
• Kenner
• New Iberia
• Bossier City
• Marrero
• Alexandria
• Gretna
• West Monroe
• Denham Springs
• Opelousas
• Harvey
• Mandeville
• Thibodaux
• Hammond
• Pineville
• Covington
• Ruston
• La Place
• Gonzales
• Natchitoches
• Bastrop
• Abbeville
• Deridder
• Breaux Bridge
• Leesville
• Morgan City
• Ville Platte
• Bogalusa
• Crowley
• Minden
• Jennings
• Rayne
• Winnsboro
• Port Allen
• Raceland
• Rayville
• Tallulah
• Church Point
• Luling
• Oakdale
• Marksville
• Broussard
• Donaldsonville
• Scott
• Kaplan
• Ferriday
• Farmerville
• Homer
• Lacombe
• Coushatta
• Oak Grove
• Lake Providence
• Jonesville
• Bunkie
• New Roads
• Reserve
• Kinder
• Columbia
• Springhill
• Clinton
• Sunset
• Mamou
• Colfax
• White Castle
• Schriever
• Lutcher
• Ethel
• Oberlin
• Olla
• Newellton
• Cheneyville
• Charenton

Louisiana Drug Information and Drug Trafficking

Drug information sources in Louisiana show that the greatest drug threat is the widespread availability and abuse of major drugs such as cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin. Additional drug problems in Louisiana include homegrown marijuana and the increasing danger of local manufacture of methamphetamine and designer drugs. Conventional drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana comprise the bulk of drugs shipped through and arriving in Louisiana. Overland transportation utilizing private and commercial vehicles continues to be the most commonly encountered smuggling method in Louisiana.

Elevated security due to the September 11th tragedy has deterred transportation of most drugs via commercial air travel. Colombian, Mexican and Caribbean drug traffickers traveling to and from Miami, Houston, or the southwest border via I-10, I-12, I-20 (East / West routes) and I-55 (North / South route) are largely responsible for the transportation and distribution of cocaine, crack, methamphetamine and marijuana into Louisiana.

Additionally, regional and local drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) ensure widespread availability throughout the state. Regional DTOs have also made significant inroads into the distribution of imported designer drugs such as MDMA and GHB, particularly near larger metropolitan areas of Louisiana where college populations are heavy. Various pharmaceuticals such as OxyContin have penetrated the illicit drug market at an alarming rate and in some areas accounts for more deaths than any other pharmaceutical drug.

The widespread availability of powdered cocaine and the distribution and abuse of crack cocaine are still the primary illicit drug threats in Louisiana. Law enforcement agencies continue to make large seizures of cocaine, especially powdered cocaine, on the southern interstate corridors in Louisiana. State law enforcement authorities remain concerned due to cocaine's impact on the community in terms of its direct correlation to incidents of violent crime and homicide.

Houston and Miami are the primary source cities for drug trafficking cocaine in Louisiana. Mexican and Black American criminal groups are the primary wholesale distributors of powdered cocaine in Louisiana. Caucasian, Dominican, Haitian, and Jamaican criminal groups also distribute powdered cocaine at the wholesale level in New Orleans, but to a lesser extent. These criminal groups supply wholesale quantities of powdered cocaine to Black American and Hispanic gangs as well as local independent dealers who convert most of the powdered cocaine to crack.

Altogether, heroin distribution and abuse is not a significant threat in Louisiana, with the exception of the greater New Orleans area. Most heroin entering Louisiana is in transit from Texas and California to either the Midwest or Northeast. U.S. heroin distribution and abuse in New Orleans has reached an all time high, advancing the city into a regional distribution center. It is being transported primarily through commercial parcel delivery services, body carry on commercial air flights, and commercial buses as well as via vessels from Colombian ports.

Heroin available in the New Orleans area is of South American origin with purity levels as high as 45 percent. When cut with mannitol, the color is off-white, however street distributors also use brown sugar to cut their product, resulting in a slightly darker color. The primary consumers of Colombian heroin are typically younger, middle to upper class Caucasian adults from the New Orleans suburbs. They come into the inner city to buy the drug, and have higher chances of overdosing because of the high purity levels.

New Orleans drug treatment centers report that the high purity levels have resulted in an increase of overdoses and highly addicted patients. Younger abusers of all races are mixing the heroin with other drugs for the "cocktail" effect. Caucasian youth frequent the housing projects in search of heroin.

Production, trafficking and illegal abuse of methamphetamine continues to be the fastest growing drug problem in Louisiana. Mexican criminal groups are the primary wholesale distributors in Louisiana of methamphetamine produced in Mexico, California, and southwestern states. Caucasian independent dealers distribute locally produced methamphetamine. The rural nature of northern Louisiana and the abundance of horses and livestock makeiodine crystals, commonly used in the handling of farm animals, widely available as precursor chemical used in the ephedrine process of methamphetamine manufacturing. Anhydrous ammonia is also readily available in Louisiana.

Due to the recent increase in clandestine methamphetamine laboratory seizures throughout the state, law enforcement authorities expect a continuing increase in clandestine lab investigations. Almost nonexistent three years ago, methamphetamine related cases and arrests are now occurring statewide. The movement within the state seems to be from north to south. State agencies note a direct relationship between methamphetamine distribution and abuse and violent crime, particularly domestic violence, child abuse, aggravated assault and murder.

Another factor is the profound environmental damage (5 to 7 pounds of toxic waste per pound of methamphetamine) resulting from methamphetamine production and the associated cost of remediating these laboratory sites. In addition, methamphetamine producers and distributors sometimes resort to violence to protect their laboratories and territories. Some methamphetamine producers are heavily armed and booby-trap their laboratories to guard against law enforcement seizures or theft by competitors.

Louisiana is seeing a rise in club drug abuse among teens and young adults in the state. Police and treatment counselors throughout the state report an increase in the availability and abuse of MDMA (ecstasy), Ketamine, Rohypnol, LSD, and GHB. GHB and MDMA are the drugs of choice and the end-users are young Caucasians at all economic levels.

MDMA from sources in California, Texas and Florida is distributed to college aged youth. Counterfeit pills are also sold to young adults as MDMA and have become an extremely lucrative business in Shreveport nightclubs. Vietnamese trafficking groups are now playing a role in the influx of MDMA into the New Orleans area.

Marijuana is the most widely available illicit drug in Louisiana. Most marijuana available in Louisiana is produced in Mexico; however, marijuana produced locally and in neighboring states is also readily available. The availability of high-grade, domestically produced marijuana has increased due to modern techniques of indoor cultivation (i.e., the use of cloning and hydroponics to increase the potency).

In many regions of Louisiana, the price of marijuana has been decreasing due to the availability of marijuana produced in Mexico and transported from hub cities in Texas (i.e., Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Brownsville and El Paso Texas). A common practice among distributors is to "bulk up" domestic marijuana with less expensive, lower quality Mexico-produced marijuana to increase profits.

Mexican DTOs clearly dominate the greatest portion of wholesale distribution through Texas into Louisiana. Local independent dealers, street gangs, and some small ethnic drug groups dominate domestic marijuana retail distribution.

Currently, the illegal diversion, distribution and abuse of oxycodone products, particularly OxyContin, has become a significant threat, especially in Louisiana's southeast parishes. OxyContin is being abused at a rate many law enforcement officials describe as epidemic. The problem is due in part to physicians who write prescriptions for the drug without performing proper screening and examinations. Louisiana pharmacies have also seen an increase in the number of burglaries and robberies as abusers and distributors seek to obtain this and other prescription drugs.