Other Dangerous Drugs

The availability and abuse of other dangerous drugs, principally MDMA and khat, pose an increasing threat to the state. LSD poses a low drug threat to Maine. MDMA and LSD typically are abused by adolescents and young adults at raves or techno parties and on college campuses. Khat usually is distributed and abused within Maine's Somali community.

MDMA. Also known as ecstasy, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is the most frequently abused ODD in Maine. State and local law enforcement officials report that Caucasian teenagers and young adults are the primary abusers of MDMA in the state. According to the 2002 MYDAUS, 3.7 percent of twelfth grade students in Maine reported having abused MDMA in the past month.

Thirty-one of the 42 law enforcement respondents to the NDTS 2002 in Maine reported the availability of MDMA as high or medium in their jurisdictions. Further, law enforcement officials report that MDMA increasingly is available in Bangor, Biddeford, Gardiner, Saco, and Waldoboro. According to MDEA, state and local task force officials seized 1,879 dosage units of MDMA in FY2002. MDMA-related arrests (26) accounted for 5 percent of MDEA arrests (520) in FY2002.

Caucasian local independent dealers are the primary transporters of MDMA into Maine. Most of the MDMA available in Maine is transported into the state by Caucasian local independent dealers from Massachusetts via private vehicles. MDMA also is transported into the state by Caucasian local independent dealers from New York City via private vehicles and from Florida via package delivery services, although to a lesser extent. Additional quantities of MDMA are transported across the U.S.-Canada border into Maine by OMGs and Caucasian criminal groups via private vehicles and commercial trucks.

Caucasian local independent dealers and OMGs are the primary distributors of MDMA in Maine. Many of these dealers and OMG members also distribute powdered cocaine. MDMA distribution in the state most frequently occurs at raves or techno parties, nightclubs, and on college campuses. According to the DEA Portland Resident Office, MDMA sold for $20 to $30 per tablet at the retail level in the first quarter of FY2003.

LSD. The distribution and abuse of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) pose a low threat to Maine. LSD available in the state typically is transported from Massachusetts and Canada via private vehicles and from the West Coast via package delivery services. The drug usually is distributed and abused by Caucasian teenagers and young adults at rock concerts, raves or techno parties, and on college campuses. According to the 2002 MYDAUS, 2.8 percent of twelfth grade students in Maine reported having abused LSD in the past month. MDEA reports that state and local task force officials seized 317 dosage units of LSD in FY2002. According to the DEA Portland Resident Office, LSD sold for $3 to $7 per dosage unit in the first quarter of FY2003.

Khat. Fresh leaves of khat (Catha edulis), a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian peninsula, contain cathinone--a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. The leaves typically begin to deteriorate after 48 hours, causing the chemical composition of the plant to break down. Once this occurs, the leaves contain cathine, a Schedule IV drug. In many Middle Eastern and African countries, khat is not a controlled substance and is sold openly at markets. Many immigrants from these countries continue to use khat in the United States. Several cities in Maine, including Augusta, Lewiston, and Portland, are home to small communities of Somali refugees, and more refugees are relocating to the state. The demand for khat in Maine is increasing in correlation with the increase in Somali refugees. Khat available in the state typically is first transported to New York City from Great Britain via couriers on commercial aircraft and then into Maine via package delivery services. On March 22, 2002, law enforcement officials seized 51 pounds of khat from a Portland airfreight office and arrested the individual who attempted to claim the package.

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