National Drug Intelligence Center   North Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Drug Market Analysis 2008   June 2008

Drug-Related Crime

High levels of violent and property crime in the North Florida HIDTA region are associated with the distribution and abuse of illicit drugs, particularly crack cocaine.¹³ According to data from the NDTS 2007, 11 of the 12 local law enforcement agency respondents in the North Florida HIDTA region reported that crack cocaine was the drug that most contributed to violent crime and property crime in their jurisdictions. Moreover, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data reveal that violent crime in Jacksonville increased from 2006 to 2007--this report does not overtly link drug trafficking and violent crime. Preliminary UCR data from January 2007 through June 2007 (the latest period for which such data are available) indicate that violent crime in Jacksonville increased from 3,164 reported offenses from January through June 2006 to 3,947 reported offenses during the same period in 2007. Likewise, property crime increased from 21,070 reported offenses from January through June 2006 to 21,311 reported offenses during the same period in 2007.¹⁴ In addition, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office reports that the number of homicides committed in Jacksonville increased from 136 in 2005 to 177 in 2007. Law enforcement officials report that many of the arrested and convicted individuals had previously been involved in drug trafficking and suspect that much of the violence in the area is a result of conflicts among rival drug distributors, particularly street gangs, over increasingly limited drug markets.

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Abuse

Marijuana is the primary illicit substance identified in treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in Florida. However, the most negative drug-related societal and personal consequences are often associated with powder and crack cocaine (the second most identified substance in treatment admissions). According to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), the number of marijuana-related treatment admissions in Florida from 2002 through 2006 (the latest year for which data are available) exceeded the number of treatment admissions for abuse of cocaine, pharmaceutical drugs (including other opiates, tranquilizers, and sedatives), heroin, or amphetamines (which include methamphetamine).¹⁵ (See Table 5.) Moreover, 48.4 percent of marijuana-related treatment admissions in 2006 involved individuals between 12 and 17 years old at the time of admission, while 52.6 percent of smoked cocaine-related treatment admissions involved individuals between 21 and 35 years old at the time of admission.

Table 5. Drug-Related Treatment Admissions to Publicly Funded Facilities in Florida, 2002-2006*

Source: Treatment Episode Data Set, as of May 7, 2008.
*Florida changed its methodology for reporting treatment admissions to TEDS between 2004 and 2005; this resulted in a significant decline in the number of reported treatment admissions between these years (public health officials believe significant duplicate admissions were occurring under the prior reporting mechanism). Additionally, trend analysis cannot be conducted for years prior to 2005 with current year data.
**Pharmaceutical drugs include other opiates, tranquilizers, and sedatives.

Pharmaceutical drugs are widely available and frequently abused in the North Florida HIDTA region. The most commonly abused pharmaceutical drugs are prescription narcotics such as hydrocodone, methadone, and oxycodone and CNS depressants, such as the benzodiazepines Valium and Xanax. Florida medical examiner data reveal that the number of deaths associated with pharmaceutical drugs, used either alone or in combination with other drugs,¹⁶ exceeded the number of deaths associated with cocaine and heroin in Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties, which are located in the North Florida HIDTA region, during 2006 (the latest full year for which data are available). (See Table 6.) Moreover, law enforcement and public health officials in the region report that the average age among pharmaceutical drug abusers in the region is decreasing.

Table 6. Drug Mentions in Deceased Persons in Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties, 2003-2007*

Source: Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Florida Medical Examiners.
*January through July 2007.
**Pharmaceutical drugs include benzodiazepines and prescription narcotics.

Methamphetamine, ODDs, and heroin are abused at low levels throughout most of the North Florida HIDTA region. Methamphetamine abuse levels, while low, are increasing because of the rising availability of high-purity ice methamphetamine. Law enforcement officials report that most methamphetamine abusers are Caucasians. ODDs, particularly MDMA, available in the region are generally abused in combination with other substances, including alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana. MDMA is most commonly used by youth. Heroin availability and abuse are stable at low levels.

End Notes

13. Many crimes perpetrated in the North Florida HIDTA region have a drug nexus; however, such crimes are not specifically defined as drug-related by law enforcement or public agencies operating in the region.
14. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data also reveal that violent crime in Gainesville, Florida, increased from 2006 to 2007. Preliminary UCR data from January 2007 through June 2007 (the latest period for which such data are available) indicate that violent crime in Gainesville increased from 534 reported offenses from January through June 2006 to 564 reported offenses during that same period in 2007. Likewise, property crime increased from 2,567 reported offenses from January through June 2006 to 2,800 reported offenses during that same period in 2007.
15. Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) data are available only at the state level; thus, the number of admissions is reflective of the entire state of Florida and not only the North Florida HIDTA region. Additionally, in 2006 approximately 46 percent of TEDS admissions in Florida were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system compared with 38 percent of TEDS admissions at the national level.
16. More than one drug type may be associated with each deceased person because of mixed drug toxicities.

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