Outlook

Significantly lower levels of powder methamphetamine production in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region will reduce the law enforcement and public health resources necessary to remediate laboratory sites in the near term; however, costs associated with treatment for ice methamphetamine addiction will remain high and may increase, consuming any such savings.

High-potency marijuana production at indoor grow sites is likely to increase in the Rocky Mountain HIDTA region during the next year. The reasons are the rising demand for high-potency marijuana, high profitability, and a desire by wholesale distributors to eliminate costs and the risk of loss associated with transportation of the drug from Canada and domestic production locations outside the HIDTA region.

Local Caucasian and Hispanic producers will increase their production of high-potency marijuana in smaller operations within the region. However, larger, multiple-site operations will quite likely be conducted by Asian DTOs and criminal groups that have already gained a foothold in the region and possess the infrastructure, knowledge, and techniques gleaned from Asian DTO-controlled indoor grow operations in Canada, Washington, Oregon, and California.

MDMA availability and abuse will most likely increase or stabilize at high levels, particularly in Denver, Colorado Springs, and Salt Lake City. Expanding drug trafficking operations by Canada-based Asian DTOs throughout the region have greatly increased the availability of Canadian MDMA in these cities. Asian criminal groups and street gangs and Caucasian distributors routinely distribute multithousand-tablet quantities of MDMA in Denver and Salt Lake City, and African American independent dealers have emerged as significant MDMA distributors in Colorado Springs. Increased availability of MDMA in these cities will quite likely result in higher abuse levels among adolescents and young adults.

Heroin abuse, particularly among adolescents and young adults who initiated drug use with prescription narcotics, will quite likely increase in the HIDTA region. The wide availability and low cost of Mexican black tar heroin as well as difficulties and costs associated with acquiring diverted prescription narcotics will fuel this increase.

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