ARCHIVED Skip nagivation.To Contents     To Previous Page     To Next Page     To Publications Page     To Home Page

Abuse

Heroin is widely available and abused in urban areas throughout the W/B HIDTA region. Heroin is the primary drug of abuse in Baltimore and can be purchased at numerous open-air drug markets in West and East Baltimore in either "raw" (high-purity) or cut form. Heroin abuse in Baltimore is cultural and intergenerational; most users and many dealers have parents and grandparents who are addicted to heroin. In Washington, D.C., the heroin trade is well-entrenched; some local markets cater to the suburban trade, while others are frequented by established sellers and long-term addicts. Richmond also has a small heroin market that primarily supplies long-term addicts.

SA heroin is the principal type available in street-level heroin markets in Baltimore, Richmond, and Washington, D.C., according to DEA Heroin Domestic Monitor Program (HDMP) data. SWA heroin was available in both Richmond and Washington, D.C., in 2007. Moreover, third-quarter fiscal year (FY) 2007 HDMP results show that the average heroin purity in Baltimore increased from 8.1 percent to 15.4 percent in the second quarter, while heroin purity in Washington, D.C., increased considerably from 12.6 percent to 22.3 percent during the same period. However, heroin purity in Richmond decreased from 37.2 percent to 22.5 percent in the second quarter.

Crack cocaine is abused primarily by African American individuals in inner-city areas of the W/B HIDTA region. Powder cocaine is abused primarily by middle- and upper-middle-income individuals in metropolitan and suburban areas of the region. Nightclubs and bars in the affluent Georgetown area and newly renovated areas of Washington, D.C., reportedly are frequented by white-collar cocaine users. Powder cocaine is also one of many drugs available and used in the nightclub scene by suburban teens and young adults.

Marijuana is abused by a wide range of users in the W/B HIDTA region. Blunts and joints remain the most popular methods of smoking marijuana in the region. Marijuana, particularly when used in these forms, is often combined with small rocks of crack cocaine or PCP.

Methamphetamine abuse, traditionally limited to the homosexual community in the Washington, D.C., area, may be extending to young rural and suburban users as availability of the drug increases. Ice methamphetamine availability and abuse are increasing in a number of areas in the region, particularly in the Shenandoah Valley, where law enforcement agencies attribute rising availability and abuse to increasing distribution of ice methamphetamine by Mexican traffickers. Henrico County, Virginia, law enforcement officials also report an increase in the availability of ice methamphetamine, which is known as hielo (Spanish for ice) in the Hispanic community. Young abusers tend to use methamphetamine--one of the many drugs available at nightclubs in the region.

MDMA available in the W/B HIDTA region is generally abused in combination with other substances, including alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and club drugs. In some communities, however, law enforcement and medical authorities are now reporting the abuse of MDMA with heroin or OxyContin. MDMA is widely available in areas around colleges and universities and is used mainly by youth in more affluent communities at clubs and parties.

PCP is abused primarily by young, inner-city African American and lower-middle income Caucasian individuals in the W/B HIDTA region. Charles County, Maryland, law enforcement officials report an increase in PCP abuse in their jurisdiction, where the drug is reportedly more widely abused than heroin, methamphetamine, or MDMA.

Pharmaceutical drug abuse is increasing among adolescents and young adults in the W/B HIDTA region. Many new drug abusers are inclined to abuse prescription narcotics rather than heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine because pharmaceutical drugs are perceived to be safer. Once addicted to prescription narcotics, abusers often switch to heroin because of the drug's availability and lower price. Similarly, abusers of prescription stimulants sometimes switch to crack cocaine abuse, and some treatment providers believe that abusers of prescription amphetamines, such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) or Adderall (dextroamphetamine), may begin to abuse methamphetamine as it becomes more available. Law enforcement agencies in the region report that abusers of prescription narcotics and heroin often use a combination of Alprazolam, Klonopin (clonazepam), Promethazine, and Clonedine to extend their drug high.

 
Howard County, Maryland, Officials Seize New Drug Cocktail

The Howard County Forensic Chemist working out of the Maryland State Police Forensic Sciences Division (Pikesville) recently received a polydrug submission that included two clear plastic capsules containing an off-white powder suspected to be heroin. The drugs were seized by the Howard County Police Department during a traffic stop near Savage (located just off I-95 between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore). Analysis of the powder by color testing indicated a mixture of acetaminophen, caffeine, heroin, and Alprazolam. The ratio of heroin to Alprazolam was approximately 2:3. This was the first known submission to the laboratory of capsules containing a mixture of heroin and Alprazolam.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration.
 

Prescription narcotics are the most commonly abused diverted pharmaceutical drugs in the W/B HIDTA region; however, abuse patterns vary according to location. Methadone, OxyContin, and Valium abuse is predominant in Washington, D.C.; OxyContin, Klonopin, methadone and other benzodiazepines are most commonly abused in the Baltimore area; and OxyContin, Alprazolam, and hydrocodone products are commonly abused in Richmond.

To Top      To Contents

 

Drug-Related Crime

Drug-related violence, including robberies and shootings, is increasing in all areas of the W/B HIDTA region; much of this increase is attributed to rising gang violence related primarily to the distribution of crack cocaine. Thirty-eight of the 46 state and local law enforcement respondents to the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) 2007 in the W/B HIDTA region reported that crack cocaine was the drug most associated with violent crime in their jurisdictions. The number of homicides in the region increased in 2007, particularly in Washington, D.C., and some parts of Maryland. Law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., reported 181 homicides in 2007, an increase from 167 in 2006, which had been the lowest homicide total in 20 years. Baltimore officials reported 155 homicides in 2007, up from 133 in 2006. Law enforcement officials in Prince George's County reported 141 homicides in 2007, an increase from 134 in 2006, but still lower than the 169 homicides reported in 2005. Drug-related property crime is also a problem in the region. Some drug abusers commit crimes such as burglary, forgery, fraud, and theft to support their addictions. Of the 46 regional respondents to the NDTS, 27 reported that crack cocaine was the drug most associated with property crime in their jurisdiction. Respondents from Baltimore reported that both cocaine and heroin were the drugs most associated with property crimes in their area.

Medicaid- and Medicare-related fraud associated with the distribution and abuse of diverted pharmaceutical drugs is a problem in the W/B HIDTA region. The cities of Baltimore, Washington, and Richmond have large low-income populations that receive Medicaid benefits, as well as large numbers of retired federal employees who are Medicare recipients. Criminal groups in low-income areas steal, borrow, rent, or buy Medicaid cards from legitimate holders to fill counterfeit prescriptions, which are then sold on the street. Single cards can be used to obtain multiple prescriptions; this activity results in fraudulent billings to the Medicaid system and millions of dollars in annual costs to taxpayers. Because of the huge illicit profit potential, law enforcement officials are concerned that cities in the region with large numbers of Medicaid or Medicare recipients may emerge as local sources for diverted pharmaceutical drugs, particularly OxyContin.


To Top      To Contents     To Previous Page     To Next Page

To Publications Page     To Home Page

UNCLASSIFIED


End of page.