Other Dangerous Drugs

Other dangerous drugs such as MDMA, ketamine, and GHB are becoming increasingly popular in Wisconsin, particularly among young people in urban areas and college towns. Nightclubs and rave parties are the primary retail distribution points for club drugs, although many of these drugs increasingly are being distributed outside these venues.

Abuse

"Club drugs" or "designer drugs" are general terms for synthetic drugs that have become popular with teenagers and young adults who frequent nightclubs and raves. These drugs include MDMA, ketamine, GHB, GBL, and LSD. The popularity of these drugs has increased in large part because of the perception that they are not harmful; however, many users experiment with an extremely dangerous combination of club drugs, other drugs, and alcohol.

 Abuse of MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms is on the rise in Wisconsin. National emergency department mentions show a sharp increase in the use of MDMA throughout the United States, from over 400 in 1995 to over 1,000 in 1998. An increase in MDMA-related activity is just beginning in Wisconsin. March 2001 information indicates that three deaths in Wisconsin in the previous 6 months are attributed to MDMA. The Milwaukee Police Department conducted its first six MDMA investigations in the first quarter of 2000, and the Dane County Narcotics Task Force conducted its first four MDMA investigations in the first 8 months of 2000.

Young adults are the principal users of MDMA. The Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee HIDTA indicate that most of the area's MDMA users are Caucasian males and females in their late teens and early twenties who often frequent the East Side of Milwaukee, described as a "1960s retro" area. Most of the people living in this area of Milwaukee wear 1960s-era clothing and listen to music of that decade. Milwaukee's East Side is also known for LSD activity. LSD users often follow 1960s-era bands such as the Grateful Dead and typically are between the ages of 20 and 30. A 1999 Wisconsin Student Survey revealed that 7 percent of high school students had used LSD.

Following are brief descriptions of dangerous synthetic drugs that have emerged as problems in Wisconsin.

• MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also called ecstasy, XTC, E, X, and Adam, is a synthetic, psychoactive substance with stimulant and mild hallucinogenic properties. Known as the "hug drug" or "feel good" drug, MDMA reduces inhibitions and anxiety and produces feelings of empathy and extreme relaxation. MDMA is taken orally, usually in tablet form, and its effects last approximately 4 to 6 hours. The drug reportedly suppresses the need to eat, drink, or sleep, which enables MDMA users to attend parties or raves that can last 2 to 3 days. The drug's effects, which "short-circuit" the body's signals to the brain, often lead to severe dehydration and heat stroke intensified by the nonstop dancing and activity at raves. An MDMA overdose is characterized by rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, faintness, muscle cramping, panic attacks and in more severe cases, loss of consciousness or seizure.
  
  
• GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), also known as liquid ecstasy, soap, easy lay, Georgia home boy, grievous bodily harm, liquid X, and goop, is a central nervous system depressant that was banned by the Food and Drug Administration in 1990. Originally sold in health stores, GHB was marketed as a releasing agent for growth hormones that would stimulate muscle growth. Combining GBL (see below) with either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide easily produces GHB. Recipes are readily available on the Internet. At lower doses, GHB causes drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, and visual disturbances. At higher dosages, unconsciousness, seizure, severe respiratory depression, and coma can occur. An overdose usually requires emergency room attention.
  
  
• GBL (gamma-butyrolactone), a chemical used in industrial cleaners, is closely related to GHB. GBL is a precursor to GHB and, when ingested alone, metabolizes into GHB. GBL is sold as a dietary supplement and marketed under a variety of health claims, from the treatment of insomnia to the reversal of baldness. Its popularity as a club drug has increased as raves and related activity have spread from large metropolitan areas to smaller cities and towns.
  
  
• Ketamine, also known as K, special K, and cat valium, is a disassociative general anesthetic primarily for veterinary use. The only known source of ketamine is diverted pharmaceutical products. Ketamine liquid can be injected, applied to smokable material, or consumed in drinks. A powdered form can be made by allowing the solvent to evaporate. The resulting white powder, once pulverized, looks very similar to cocaine. The powder can be put in drinks, smoked, or injected. Ketamine produces physical effects similar to PCP but with the visual effects of LSD. Users report a preference for ketamine over PCP or LSD because the "trip" lasts an hour or less. Use of the drug can cause delirium, amnesia, depression, long-term memory and cognitive difficulties, as well as fatal respiratory problems.
  
  
• LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), also known as acid, boomers, and yellow sunshines, is a hallucinogen that induces abnormalities in sensory perceptions. The effects of LSD are unpredictable depending on the amount taken, the environment in which it is used, and the user's personality, mood, and expectations. Users may feel the effects within 30 to 90 minutes after ingestion. The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. LSD users report numbness, weakness, or trembling, and nausea is common. Two long-term disorders associated with LSD are persistent psychosis and hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (flashbacks). LSD typically is taken by mouth and is sold in tablet, capsule, liquid, and microdot forms as well as on pieces of paper (blotters) that have absorbed the drug. Historically, LSD has been produced in northern California.

The DEA Milwaukee District Office and the Wisconsin DNE report that OxyContin is a growing concern. The DEA has added OxyContin to its list of priorities--as a potential threat--and is tracking OxyContin abuse trends throughout the state. OxyContin is a trade name product for the generic narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, an opiate agonist. Opiate agonists provide pain relief by acting on opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain, and possibly in the tissues directly. Opioids, natural or synthetic classes of drugs that act like morphine, are the most effective pain relievers available. Oxycodone is manufactured by modifying thebaine, and alkaloid found in opium. Oxycodone has a high abuse potential and is prescribed for moderate to high pain relief associated with injuries, bursitis, dislocation, fractures, neuralgia, arthritis, and lower back and cancer pain. It is also used postoperatively and for pain relief after childbirth. Percocet, Percodan, and Tylox are other trade name oxycodone products.

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Availability

Other dangerous drugs, particularly MDMA and LSD, are increasingly available throughout the state. In a July 2000 DNE report, 19 counties throughout the state reported increasing problems with MDMA. MDMA, selling for $20-$30 per tablet, often is seized at raves and other parties. MDMA seizures by the Milwaukee Police Department increased from 5 tablets in 1999 to 1,418 tablets as of August 2000. The Winnebago Area Drug Task Force reported that no MDMA was seized in Oshkosh in 1999 but that more than 600 MDMA tablets were seized in the first 8 months of 2000. Madison court records show that one suspect arrested in the summer of 2000 had more than 1,100 MDMA tablets in his bedroom; the suspect admitted to distributing 3,000 doses in the previous 2 weeks. The Milwaukee County District Attorney is very concerned about the increased availability and believes that only a fraction of the MDMA available is being seized. The Commander of the Dane County Narcotics and Gang Task Force said police encountered rising amounts of MDMA and other drugs linked to raves, such as LSD, in the Madison area in 2000. The Commander further stated that rave activity appeared to be increasing. Law enforcement officials throughout the state report the ready availability of blotter acid and microdot LSD.

Further evidence of the increase in the availability of other dangerous drugs is the number of Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory cases. (See Chart 5.) Although the number of MDMA submissions decreased slightly from 1997 to 1998, there was a sharp increase in 1999 and 2000, from 37 to 80. LSD and GHB submissions have increased steadily every year since 1997. Despite the limited quantities available, there is growing concern regarding GHB. Laboratory cases for GHB went from zero in 1997 to nine in 1999. Although still relatively few, the number of ketamine-related cases submitted also increased from 1997 to 1999. Ketamine is affecting bordering states such as Illinois, and its use may continue to increase in Wisconsin.

Chart 5. State Crime Laboratory Cases for Other Dangerous Drugs
1997-1999
   
d-link  
  Psilocybin       LSD       MDMA       GHB       Ketamine Source: Wisconsin Department of Justice, Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory.

The increasing popularity of these drugs, especially among school age youth, will lead to increases in availability and use in some areas of the state. The West Central Drug Task Force reported an increase in GHB availability in 2000, noting its appearance on campuses and in bars. The task force also has identified psilocybin mushrooms and LSD in its jurisdiction. Several sheriffs of rural counties also reported that LSD and psilocybin mushrooms are increasingly available in their areas. The Brown County Sheriff specifically reports an increase in LSD and psilocybin mushroom investigations and arrests. The Wisconsin State Patrol and Osseo Police Department in northwestern Wisconsin, along the Interstate 94 corridor, have encountered liquid PCP. The Florence County Sheriff states that there has been an increase in overall club drug use in that county.

Violence

There is usually little violence associated with the use of other dangerous drugs, except for GHB. MDMA is called the "hug drug," and it fosters feelings of friendship and compassion rather than violence. LSD can cause violent "trips," but it is not known to cause violence among users. LSD trips can include violent hallucinations, but the effects usually do not extend beyond the user. Psilocybin mushrooms also are hallucinogens and are not known to induce violent behavior. GHB, however, often is used in the commission of rape.

Russian and Israeli DTOs transport a large portion of the MDMA available in the United States. These organizations are closely associated and often cooperate with one another. Many of the Russian transporters immigrated to Israel before and after the fall of the Soviet Union, and many have acquired U.S. citizenship. Russian and Israeli transporters often are young, well educated, and very disciplined, although some are career criminals with violent records. There is a large Russian émigré population on the East Side of Milwaukee where most MDMA retail sales occur. If Russian and Israeli DTOs integrate themselves into this community and enter the Milwaukee MDMA market, violence may ensue as they compete with independent traffickers for market dominance.

Production

There is evidence of MDMA production in the state. An MDMA laboratory was seized in eastern Wisconsin in 1999, and in 2000, a DEA investigation into 40,000 MDMA tablets seized in New York implicated individuals in Wisconsin. If traditional trafficking organizations such as the Russians and Israelis move into the market, an increase in MDMA laboratories is possible. There is no compelling evidence that LSD and GHB are being produced in Wisconsin.

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Transportation

No one dominant group is responsible for transporting other dangerous drugs into Wisconsin. LSD sources appear to be from the West Coast, usually California. In 1999, undercover DEA agents made purchases of LSD on the East Side of Milwaukee and traced the sources to the West Coast. In that same year, an OCDETF investigation targeted a criminal group distributing LSD in the Eastern District of Wisconsin; the group's supply was traced to a nationwide dealer in San Francisco. The Milwaukee Police Department reports that Detroit is an LSD transshipment point. LSD produced on the West Coast is transported by private vehicle or parcel service to Wisconsin. LSD transporters in the area follow the tours of 1960s-era bands. The Milwaukee Police Department states that the number of LSD-related incidents increases when 1960s-era bands give concerts in the area. LSD transporters, normally Caucasian males in their twenties, move the tablets via private vehicle. The Milwaukee Police Department indicated that most of the transporters involved in recent cases were Caucasian males in their late teens or early twenties who drove to Chicago to obtain the LSD.

Organized crime groups such as Russian and Israeli DTOs transport large amounts of MDMA into the United States from the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Tablets have been seized in cargo shipments, strapped to the bodies of couriers, and hidden in compartments in suitcases. The Milwaukee Police Department states that there is a large Russian population primarily in the East Side of Milwaukee where most MDMA is distributed.

There is insufficient information pertaining to transportation groups for any other dangerous drugs distributed in Wisconsin.

Distribution

Local independent dealers, primarily Caucasian males, are the primary wholesale MDMA distributors in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Police Department states that Caucasian males obtain their MDMA supplies from Chicago and then distribute the drug throughout the Milwaukee area. The Dane County Narcotics Task Force reports that Caucasian males are the primary wholesale distributors in its jurisdiction.

There is insufficient information concerning wholesale distribution for any other dangerous drugs in Wisconsin.

There is no dominant distribution group retailing other dangerous drugs in Wisconsin; most retailers in the state are independent dealers. The predominant retailers for MDMA and LSD are Caucasian males. The age of these retailers varies from late teens to early twenties (MDMA) to between 20 and 30 (LSD).

MDMA retail operations are centered on the East Side of Milwaukee and take place primarily at rave parties and clubs, but MDMA is encountered in other settings as well. In May 2000, two 17-year-old boys were arrested at a high school in West Allis, Wisconsin, for having 28 MDMA pills.

Also in 2000, the Milwaukee Police Department arrested an Hispanic male selling MDMA in a predominantly Caucasian suburban area. Detectives seized 100 MDMA tablets during the arrest. A Lake Winnebago Area Drug Task Force detective stated that independent Caucasian males are the primary MDMA retailers in Oshkosh and that MDMA retail operations are connected to college students in the area.

LSD also is retailed predominantly on the East Side of Milwaukee, but the drug is also found in more rural areas, such as Brown and Eau Claire Counties. The Brown County Sheriff stated that Caucasian males are the primary LSD retailers in that county. The West Central Drug Task Force stated that Caucasian males are the primary GHB retailers in the area.

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