Drug Rehab Centers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

As the second largest city in Pennsylvania, in terms of population, Pittsburgh is home to over 200 drug rehab centers including:

• Drug Treatment Centers
• Drug Rehab Centers in Pennsylvania
• Counseling Centers
• Recovery Programs
• Outpatient Centers
• Drug Treatment Referrals
• Detoxification Centers
• Sober Living Programs

Drug Situation in Pittsburgh

Compared to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh problem with drug dealing and drug use is not as serious. Although, it would seem that the most popular drugs in this city include the following:

• Cocaine
• Heroin
• Methamphetamines

It is believed that illegal drugs are smuggled to the city from Chicago, Mexico, New York and the Caribbean. High incidence of drug use is also believed to be linked with the high poverty rate. There is also growing evidence that a lot of the violent crimes in the city are drug-related.

Pittsburgh Drug Scandal

In 1985, several baseball players were involved in a series of cases that involved cocaine use and distribution. Six Pittsburgh players including Curtis Strong were found guilty of 11 counts of cocaine distribution. Strong was sentenced to 12 years and Dale Shiffman served 2 years in prison. The other playerswere suspended by their teams and did community service. Most were allowed to play again after agreeing to donate 5 to 10 percent of their base salaries to drug rehab centers as well as submit to random drug testing. After the scandal, most of the baseball players went on to have really successful careers while three of the players found themselves struggling with long term drug abuse.

Cocaine Drug Ring Busted

In an effort to address the city’s illegal drug trade, the local law enforcements have stepped up its efforts to catch dealers. In May 2010, a cocaine ring that is believed to be based in California was sentenced to prison for money laundering and federal drug trafficking charges. Members of the said ring plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms of cocaine. Drug money was laundered through real estate purchases.

In Indiana County, on the other hand, a police sweep resulted to the arrest of 30 individuals for either cocaine use or dealing. According to the local authorities, the arrest only strengthened their belief that cocaine has become the drug of choice of high school and college students because it can be bought almost anywhere at a cheap price. Hopefully, the arrest will lead to the arrest of major drug dealers in the city and help individuals addicted to drugs.

^{References:
http://www.wpxi.com/news/9336909/detail.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_drug_trials}