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National Drug Intelligence
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Cocaine, heroin, and marijuana are abused at high levels in the PC HIDTA region. Cocaine, especially crack, is the primary cause of drug-related deaths, emergency department visits, and treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in Philadelphia. Heroin abuse is increasing in the HIDTA region; declining purity has caused some abusers to seek alternative methods of abuse, such as injecting larger doses or injecting more frequently. The abuse of fentanyl in combination with heroin, which resulted in hundreds of drug-induced deaths in 2006, decreased sharply in Philadelphia from 170 in 2006 to 18 in the first 6 months of 2007 (the latest available information.) During the 2006 outbreak, some distributors mixed fentanyl with heroin and sold the combination, often to unsuspecting heroin users. Compounding the heroin problem in the region, the drug is gaining popularity among teens and young adults, who initially inhale the drug but progress to injection as addiction sets in. Marijuana is the most widely available and commonly abused illicit drug in the region. The availability of high-potency marijuana, both Canadian and locally produced, is increasingly enticing new users.
A rising number of teenagers and young adults are abusing diverted pharmaceuticals in the PC HIDTA region. Such abuse often occurs in social settings in which party attendees bring a number of pharmaceuticals--such as opioids, stimulants, or depressants--and exchange them for pharmaceuticals that other partygoers bring. This activity is commonly known as pharming. Many teens believe that drugs prescribed by a doctor are not as harmful as illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine and, therefore, are not as dangerous. However, treatment providers indicate that the abuse of diverted pharmaceuticals often serves as a gateway for adolescents and young adults to abuse other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Once addicted to prescription narcotics, abusers often switch to heroin because of the drug's higher availability and lower price. Similarly, abusers of prescription stimulants sometimes "graduate" to crack cocaine abuse; treatment providers believe that some abusers of prescription amphetamines, such as Ritalin (methylphenidate) or Adderall (amphetamine), may begin to abuse methamphetamine once that drug becomes more widely available.
Methadone abuse is increasing in the PC HIDTA region. Availability of the drug for illicit use results, in large part, from patients in opioid treatment programs who sell portions of their take-home doses of the drug. According to treatment providers, many methadone abusers are using the drug in combination with benzodiazepines in an attempt to achieve a heroin-like effect. Many methadone abusers acquire benzodiazepines from patients who obtain the drugs by prescription, keep some for themselves, and then sell the rest.
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