Title:

New Jersey Drug Threat Assessment Update

Publication Date: August 2002

Document ID: 2002-S0378NJ-001

Available New Jersey Assessments
   2004 Update: April 2004
   2002 Update: August 2002
          Original: May 2001

Archived on:  January 1, 2006. This document may contain dated information. It remains available to provide access to historical materials.

This report is a brief update to the New Jersey Drug Threat Assessment, which is a strategic assessment of the status and outlook of the drug threat to New Jersey. Analytical judgment determined the threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most current quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand, production or cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as well as the effects of a particular drug on abusers and society as a whole. While NDIC sought to incorporate the latest available information, a time lag often exists between collection and publication of data. NDIC anticipates that this update will be useful to policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and treatment providers at the federal, state, and local levels. 

The New Jersey Drug Threat Assessment was produced in May 2001 and is available on NDIC's web site www.usdoj.gov/ndic or by contacting the NDIC dissemination line at 814-532-4541.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome at any time.  Addresses are provided at the end of the page.
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Contents

Overview

Cocaine

Heroin

Marijuana

Other Dangerous Drugs
  MDMA
  GHB and Analogs
  Khat
  Ketamine
  LSD
  PCP
  Diverted Pharmaceuticals

Methamphetamine

Outlook

List of Tables 

Table 1. Drug-Related Emergency Department Mentions, Newark, 1994-2000
Table 2. Drug-Related Federal Sentences, New Jersey, FY1996-FY2000 

Overview

New Jersey, particularly metropolitan areas such as Newark and Camden, is a regional transportation hub and distribution center for illicit drugs. Its proximity to New York City and Philadelphia and well-developed transportation infrastructure make it ideally suited for the movement of licit and illicit goods. Drugs transported by truck, private vehicle, railcar, maritime vessel, aircraft, and parcel delivery service have an excellent chance of reaching their destinations because of the volume of traffic moving into and through the state daily. The rural areas, particularly the southern and western sections of the state, have a prosperous agricultural industry that attracts a significant number of illegal aliens. Some of these individuals cultivate cannabis and engage in other drug-related criminal activities.

Cocaine is readily available throughout the state, and its distribution and abuse are linked to more violent crime than any other illicit substance, making cocaine a significant drug threat. Low cost, high purity heroin is nearly as serious a threat. Younger individuals are abusing high purity heroin at an increasing rate, and the higher purity levels increase the risk of overdose. The distribution and abuse of heroin may become more significant than that of cocaine to New Jersey; it already has in some metropolitan areas of the state. Marijuana is the most widely available illicit drug in New Jersey, and the rate of abuse is high, particularly among teenagers and young adults. The availability of other dangerous drugs, particularly MDMA, is high, and there are indications that MDMA abuse is increasing rapidly. Diversion of pharmaceutical drugs such as OxyContin is an emerging threat to the state. The production and abuse of methamphetamine pose a low threat to New Jersey.

Addresses

National Drug Intelligence Center
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901

Tel. (814) 532-4601
FAX (814) 532-4690
E-mail NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.gov

Tel. (703) 556-8970
FAX (703) 556-7807

Web Addresses

ADNET:  http://ndicosa 
      DOJ:  http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/ndic/
      LEO:  home.leo.gov/lesig/archive/ndic/ 

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