Better border enforcement that is making it increasingly difficult for Mexican cartels to transport illegal drugs into the United States is being cited as the reason for a spike in drug addiction in Mexico, USA Today reported July 22.

In order to address a more than quadrupling of the number of new patients presenting at Mexican drugs treatment centers since 2000, the nation's health ministry has announced plans to establish 300 new centers, which would triple the current number.

"We used to be mainly a country of transit for drugs. Now we've become a consumer," said Ricardo Sánchez, director of research for the health ministry's rehab facilities.

President Bush has praised Mexican President Felipe Calderón for committing 20,000 troops to work in border cities to stop the activity of drug kingpins and extradite many suspects to the U.S. This activity has resulted in cocaine prices rising considerably in many U.S. cities, but at the same time the drug is being sold to an increasing number of Mexican consumers at prices as low as $2.50 for a rock of crack in some locations.

Existing treatment centers in Mexico do not provide the ideal site for individuals' recovery. A private shelter in Agua Prieta, across the border from Douglas, Ariz., has dimly lit dormitory rooms with concrete floors, and the detox area there consists of a room with a single light bulb and no door. Assistant director Miguel Salgado said the shelter's population has nearly doubled in the past few years, with the average age decreasing as the price of cocaine continues to drop.

Other treatment representatives say new drug phenomena such as heroin and methamphetamine are making their presence felt in Mexico as well, and young females are accounting for a growing percentage of those with drug problems.