Other Dangerous Drugs

The availability and abuse of other dangerous drugs (ODDs), principally diverted pharmaceuticals, MDMA and, to a lesser extent, PCP pose a significant drug threat to Virginia. Local independent dealers and abusers typically distribute diverted pharmaceuticals from private residences and bars. Teenagers and young adults distribute and abuse MDMA at nightclubs and on college campuses. Although PCP is primarily a street drug, it has become increasingly available at raves and nightclubs.

Diverted Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical diversion and abuse pose a significant drug threat to Virginia. Oxycodone (OxyContin and Percocet) and hydrocodone (Vicodin) are the most commonly diverted and abused pharmaceuticals in the state, although abuse has decreased. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Virginia reported that deaths related to oxycodone decreased from 100 in 2001 to 89 in 2002, and deaths related to hydrocodone decreased from 95 to 90 during the same time. Valium, Xanax, and Ritalin increasingly are diverted and abused. Diverted pharmaceuticals are obtained through prescription fraud, improper prescribing practices by physicians, and doctor shopping (visiting more than one physician in order to obtain multiple prescriptions). Diverted OxyContin sold for $20 per 40-milligram tablet and approximately $28 per 80-milligram tablet in Roanoke in the fourth quarter of FY2002, according to the DEA Washington Division. Prices for other diverted pharmaceuticals were not available.

To Top      To Contents

MDMA

Also known as ecstasy, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is the most readily available and frequently abused club drug in Virginia. Thirty-nine of the 47 law enforcement respondents to the NDTS 2002 in Virginia reported that the availability of MDMA was high or medium in their jurisdictions. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Virginia reported that 6 of the 1,137 drug deaths in the state in 2002 involved MDMA, an increase from 2 in 2001. Teenagers and young adults are the primary abusers of MDMA in Virginia. The DEA Washington Division reports increased MDMA abuse in areas of Northern Virginia, Richmond, Roanoke, and Winchester.

Dominican and Asian criminal groups are the primary transporters and wholesale-level distributors of MDMA in Virginia. Dominican and Asian criminal groups increasingly are transporting MDMA from New York, Philadelphia, Orlando, and Miami into Virginia via private and rental vehicles. Israeli and Russian criminal groups also smuggle MDMA into Virginia, often transporting the drug via couriers aboard commercial aircraft directly into the state from foreign source areas such as the Netherlands and Belgium. They also are the primary distributors of the drug. Further, some military personnel assigned overseas have been arrested for attempting to smuggle MDMA into Virginia, according to the DEA Washington Division.

MDMA abusers, typically teenagers and young adults, are the primary retail-level distributors of the drug in Virginia. These abusers usually distribute MDMA at raves and nightclubs. Street gangs and local independent dealers of various ethnic backgrounds also distribute MDMA, often at the same venues where cocaine is sold. The DEA Washington Division reported that wholesale quantities of MDMA sold for $6 to $15 per tablet in the Norfolk area and $8 to $18 in the Richmond area. Retail quantities of MDMA sold for $15 to $20 per tablet in the Roanoke area and $20 to $25 in the Norfolk and Richmond areas in the fourth quarter of FY2002.

There has been limited MDMA production in the state. In April 2002 a man and his girlfriend pleaded guilty to producing MDMA in a laboratory located at his home in Chesapeake.

PCP

The hallucinogen PCP (phencyclidine), also known as angel dust, ozone, and rocket fuel, is available and abused in Virginia. Although it is primarily a street drug, state and local law enforcement officials report that PCP has become increasingly available at raves and nightclubs. According to TEDS data, PCP-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in Virginia more than tripled from 17 in 2001 to 59 in 2002. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Virginia reported that 8 of the 1,137 drug deaths in the state in 2002 involved PCP, an increase from 2 in 2001. African American and Caucasian individuals are the primary abusers of PCP in the state.

African American independent dealers are the primary transporters and wholesale-level distributors of PCP in Virginia. PCP usually is transported into the state from sources in California via package delivery services.

African American gangs and local independent dealers of various ethnic backgrounds are the primary retail-level distributors of PCP. The drug typically is abused by dipping marijuana or tobacco cigarettes in liquid PCP. These cigarettes, known as dippers, sold for $25 each in the Richmond area in the fourth quarter of FY2002, according to the DEA Washington Division. PCP sold for $300 per liquid ounce during that period.

To Top      To Contents     To Previous Page     To Next Page

To Publications Page     To Home Page