National
Drug Intelligence Center North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis June 2007 Drug Threat OverviewPowder cocaine and crack cocaine pose the greatest drug threats to the North Florida HIDTA region. The level of violence associated with the distribution of powder and crack cocaine and the number of overdose deaths resulting from abuse of these drugs are the major factors contributing to the magnitude of the threat to the region. Methamphetamine distribution and abuse are increasing in the North Florida HIDTA region, and the drug has emerged as the greatest drug threat in many rural areas in the region. Increased quantities of Mexican ice methamphetamine are increasingly being transported into the region. Diverted pharmaceutical drugs, predominantly prescription narcotics and benzodiazepines, are significant threats, primarily because of increased abuse among youth as well as high mortality rates associated with the pharmaceutical abuser population in the region. Marijuana distribution and abuse are widespread in the area. Cannabis cultivation at indoor grow sites is increasing as demand for high-potency marijuana rises, particularly among abusers in the Jacksonville metropolitan area. Heroin abuse is relatively low in the North Florida HIDTA region; however, several agencies report that abuse of the drug is moderately rising. Abuse of powder MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy) occurs at very limited levels. |
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