Medford, Oregon has a population of  63,154 with an average household size of 2.47¹ and is located in Jackson County.

The health care industry primarily drives the local economy of Medford; however, the city is the shopping center for over 460,000 for Southern Oregon and North California.

From local wineries to venues for the performing arts, Medford has much to offer: parks, spas, golf courses, lakes & nearby rivers for recreation, art galleries & museums.

According to www.CityRating.com, Medford tends to rate higher than the National Average in crime rates including forcible rape, theft and arson.  Medford continues to also have an ongoing drug problem.

Medford Oregon's Drug Source
The DEA (The US Drug Enforcement Administration)² reports that marijuana, the most abused illegal drug in Oregon, is readily available. Its abuse, cultivation, and trafficking are a significant threat. Medical marijuana initiatives within the state have created additional challenges as local producers use these laws to conceal their illegal activity. Caucasian, Asian, and Mexican drug trafficking organizations are involved in the transportation and distribution of marijuana.

Cocaine is available throughout Oregon. While the powder form is most prevalent, crack cocaine is found in some urban areas. Mexican traffickers dominate wholesale distribution, transporting the drug from Mexico, California, and other southwestern states. Retail quantities are primarily sold by Mexican drug trafficking organizations, street gangs, prison gangs, and local independent dealers.

The most common form of heroin encountered in Oregon is Mexican black tar heroin. Mexican drug trafficking organizations primarily control the transportation and distribution of Mexican black tar and brown powdered heroin into and throughout Oregon with Mexican street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs involved to a lesser extent. Black tar heroin is produced in Mexico and transported from the Southwest Border states directly to Oregon.

Methamphetamine abuse, trafficking, and manufacturing occur in Oregon. Methamphetamine is one of the most widely abused controlled substances in the state and availability is high. In the past, powder methamphetamine was most common; however, seizures show a switch to the more addictive and potent form of meth referred to as “ice” or “crystal.”

MDMA (4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), Ketamine, and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) are available in varying quantities and are generally abused at social venues in more populated areas and on college campuses. Club drugs enter Oregon from a variety of sources: MDMA from Canada, Ketamine from Mexico, and GHB and LSD from California. Laboratory seizures indicate some local GHB and LSD production. GHB is also obtained from Internet sources. PCP and Psilocybin mushrooms are generally available on and around cities with a college student population.

In the United States, prescription drugs are the second most abused drug by youth. The primary methods of diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals continues to be illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians, illegal distribution by pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, and drug thefts from pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals. Pharmacy burglaries are prevalent throughout the state and Diversion Investigators are also encountering pharmaceuticals that have been purchased via the Internet without a doctor's prescription. The abuse and trafficking of oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), and anabolic steroids continues to be a concern, while Methadone use has increased dramatically in Oregon.

The Dwindling Spiral Will Continue
One thing is for certain, for a drug addict, the dwindling spiral will continue on its downward path unless action is taken. NOW is the time to do something before the addicted person winds up in jail or dead of an overdose or accident. Unfortunately past failed attempts to overcome addiction only further depress the individual so it comes as no surprise that fear and hesitation. 
In the city of Medford, there is an increased need for effective drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment centers as drug and alcohol use continues to escalate. Drug use erodes the quality of life not only for the user, but for their families and communities. Marriages and families are torn apart by mistrust, betrayal, fear and anger. Careers are ruined; companies lose millions of dollars in lost production time; cities and suburbs become degraded by the increased crime and violence that goes with drug trafficking and drug addiction. To do nothing for the addict, should not be an option. Something can be done; help is available.

The Damage to Society
In the State of Oregon, and specifically in the city of Medford, the effects of drug and alcohol abuse goes way past the the damage done to the addicts themselves. In terms of time lost on the job, to the health system inundated by illness and overdoses to communities harmed by the crime rate caused by addicts looking to steal anything in order to get their next fix, to families living a nightmare as they watch helplessly as their loved one goes further down the chutes. The rollercoaster of emotions, concern and anger seems like a never ending  ride the abuser puts his friends and family through. Failures in the past with drug rehab centers further numb the addict to any hope of a future without drugs. It truly can appear hopeless.

Treatment Center Changes Needed
Just in the state of Oregon, there are many different types of drug rehab and treatment facilities. In the United States, there are thousands of drug rehab and treatment centers. Of course the common goal of all addiction treatment programs is to help end addiction for the individual. In Oregon and across the United States, a variety of techniques and methods are being used. Some of the well known treatment methods in Oregon include the twelve step method, relapse prevention, one-on-one counseling, drug rehabilitation, behavioral modification, cognitive therapy, support groups, sober living, therapeutic communities, AA , NA, inpatient, and outpatient drug rehab programs. There are many types of treatment centers available in Oregon, so making a decision can be difficult. Unfortunately, many uninformed people in Oregon go from rehab to rehab looking for the one that is right for them.
In Oregon, there are many attempts being made to meet the needs of drug addicts, but statistics show success rates to be dismally low. What is needed and wanted is a drug treatment which not only handles physical addiction, but finds the underlying reasons why a person turns to drugs in order to free the person forever. What Oregon addicts, alcoholics and their family, friends and loved ones need is a real and effective drug rehab treatment center. One where they are not on a time schedule or use other drugs to get the addict off the original drugs. The addict needs a reliable proven program where when they are done, their drug addiction is a thing of the past and they are now able to live full productive lives free of the stronghold of drugs or alcohol.

Choosing a Drug Rehab and Addiction Treatment Program
What should the goal be of a drug rehab center? Clean and sober for 30 days? While that might be a good short term goal, many treatment centers and 12 step programs still leave the drug addict fighting a continuing battle with addiction. Once an addict always an addict; or it's a mental disorder they can do nothing about. When choosing a drug rehab center for yourself or a loved one from Medford, Oregon, it is important to become educated on the different types of drug rehab and what the end results are. 

Should the Drug Rehab Location Matter When it Comes to Finding a Solution to Addiction?
Drug and alcohol addiction typically involves habitual routines in the environmental scope of the individual, i.e. the locations of their drug or alcohol use, the people they associated with in the activities of drug or alcohol use, etc. Drug or alcohol addiction is not just drug and alcohol use, it revolves around people and things in their immediate environment which help to trigger the addictive behavior. The abusers location & routines of drug and alcohol use further trigger drug and alcohol use. It is the constant and seemingly unstoppable drug or alcohol use and the hopelessness of day to day existence which perpetuates the problem and inhibits the native desire to stop ruining their life through the use of drugs and alcohol.

The above factor should not be over looked when considering a treatment center location. The first 2 weeks of treatment are always the most difficult & There many factors at work to make this so. In addition to what has been covered above, a more basic factor is this; people are creatures of habit.

Drug or alcohol addiction is not just drug and alcohol use, it revolves around people and things in their immediate environment which help to trigger the addictive behavior.

Even overwhelmingly positive & beneficial changes in life, such as the birth of a child or a new job does not guarantee the individual will have no thoughts of missing past negative activities such as, drug or alcohol use, drug or drinking acquaintances and other associated activities. Factually this is the normal reactive auto response of most human beings; to do what they are familiar with; good or bad. It is not really that they yearn for these things, it is just all that they have known for some time. If the abuser is close to home when overwhelming feelings manifest themselves, there is a good chance he or she will leave and get back to what they know, drug addiction, as it is not very far away . Due to these factors, attending a drug rehab close to home is seldom the correct treatment option for chronic drug or alcohol abusers. It is extremely therapeutic to be distanced from their former association with drug dealers, bars, the cabinet where the alcohol was kept, the cigar box where the cocaine was stored, etc. All these triggers make the task of sobriety seem insurmountable to the chronic drug or alcohol abuser as these triggers continuously stimulate a reminder of their past addictive behaviors.

For individuals with a severe drug or alcohol addiction problem, choosing a long term inpatient treatment program is another key to a successful outcome.

By providing a new, safe trigger free environment, distanced from past negative associations and surroundings for an extended period of time, the chance for success increases dramatically.

Our program provides people with positive circumstances to increase their chances for a successful recovery. The vast majority of students entering our program, around (80%), are from out of state or from other countries.

• Who has completed the Narconon drug rehab program;
• Who knows he is, in fact, capable of living a drug-free life thereafter;
• Who has improved his or her ability to learn and thus can accept new ideas on how to change life for the better;
• Who has personally absorbed the fundamentals of ethics and morality well enough that he or she can be productive and contributive to society and will have no further troubles with the justice system;
• Who knows how to solve the problems of life in a rational manner to the best of his ability, without the use of mind-altering drugs.