Pulse Check: Trends in Drug Abuse
April 2002

Marijuana⁺

Baltimore and New Orleans are the only two cities where no Pulse Check source names marijuana as their community’s most widely abused drug. In the other 18 Pulse Check cities, 35 law enforcement, epidemiologic/ ethnographic, and non-methadone treatment sources name marijuana as such. By contrast, Columbia, SC, is the only city where a source (nonmethadone) considers marijuana to be the drug contributing to the most serious consequences.

Compared with the last Pulse Check reporting period, the Boston law enforcement source believes that marijuana has replaced powder cocaine as the most widely abused illicit drug, the Columbia (SC) epidemiologic source believes it has replaced crack, and the Portland (ME) law enforcement source believes it has replaced heroin and pharmaceutical opiates. Conversely, the Columbia law enforcement source believes that crack has replaced marijuana as such.

Exhibit 1.

How available is marijuana across the 20 Pulse Check cities (fall 2001)?*

MARIJUANA: THE DRUG

Exhibit 2. How has marijuana availability changed (spring 2001 vs fall 2001)?*

How available is marijuana, in its various forms, across the country?
(Exhibits 1, 2, and 3) All but one of the 39 responding law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic sources consider marijuana widely available in their communities, similar to reports in the last two Pulse Check issues. The exception is in Chicago, where the law enforcement source considers the drug not very available. Moreover, that source is the only one who perceives a decline in marijuana availability between spring and fall 2001. Only four increases are perceived (in Boston, Columbia [SC], Denver, and Honolulu). Similarly, the numerous varieties have remained generally stable in availability, with only a few shifts as noted in exhibit 3.

As reported in the last Pulse Check, locally produced commercial grade marijuana remains the most common variety, ranked as widely available by 23 law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic sources in all but 4 of the 20 Pulse Check cities: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, and El Paso.

Mexican commercial grade marijuana is the second most common variety, cited as widely available by 19 sources in 14 cities: Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in the Northeast; Baltimore, Columbia (SC), El Paso, Memphis, and New Orleans in the South; Detroit, St. Louis, and Sioux Falls in the Midwest; and Billings, Denver, and Los Angeles in the West. Sinsemilla (seedless marijuana) is the third most common variety, with wide availability cited by 13 sources in 10 cities: New York and Portland (ME) in the Northeast; Memphis, Miami, and New Orleans in the South; St. Louis in the Midwest; and Billings, Denver, Honolulu, and Seattle in the West.

Exhibit 3. Which marijuana varieties have changed in availability (spring 2001 vs fall 2001)?*

Hydroponically grown marijuana is considered widely available by seven sources in six cities (Boston, Memphis, Miami, New York, Seattle, and Washington, DC). As reported in the last Pulse Check, British Columbian (“BC bud”) is least commonly considered widely available, with only three sources reporting it as such (in Baltimore, Billings, and New York).

How is domestic marijuana grown?
The majority of responding law enforcement sources (10 of 17) report that local marijuana is grown indoors. Epidemiologic/ethnographic sources generally report both indoor and outdoor operations. Some changes in local “grows” are reported:

• Boston, MA^L: While most marijuana comes from Canada via Hell’s Angels, the number of local indoor “hydrogrows” has increased, as have the amounts grown and the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels.

• Detroit, MI^L: Increasingly, plants are started indoors and subsequently moved outdoors.

• Memphis, TN^L: Some soil grows are reported, but more indoor grows of hydroponic are reported than in the past.

• Philadelphia, PA^L: While most marijuana is not grown locally, the number of indoor hydroponic grows is increasing.

• Portland, ME^L: Large outdoor grows of high-grade marijuana are reported in the summer. Organized groups with small plots are reportedly getting together in order to bypass laws aimed at large plots. Maine has become a competitive supply source for New England and Canada.

What are street-level prices, purity levels, and adulterants across the country?
(Exhibit 4) Except for a slight increase in Portland, ME, and a decline in El Paso, all prices listed in the table remained stable between spring and fall 2001. Only a few THC levels are reported: 12 percent per 1/4 ounce of “hydro” in Miami; 4–6 percent per ounce of Mexican commercial and >15 percent for an ounce of BC bud in Denver; 4–6 percent per joint or “dime bag” of Mexican in Los Angeles; and 15–22 percent per gram of sinsemilla in Honolulu.

Five treatment sources—in Columbia (SC), El Paso, Miami, Seattle, and Washington, DC—mention clients who smoke joints that, without their knowledge, have been laced with crack. Sometimes the clients realize it afterward, and sometimes they just assume they have bought especially potent marijuana. In El Paso, both heroin and cocaine have shown up in drug tests, even though the clients, who admit to marijuana use, swear they have not used the other drugs. Staff are inclined to believe these clients because when they stop their marijuana use, their urine tests clean.

Instances of cocaine-lacing, as well as PCP-lacing, have also been increasing in Washington, DC. PCP adulteration is also reported in Chicago. The New York ethnographic source reports that when dealers cook crack, they take the leftover water and add it to marijuana to enhance it: the final product is called “elo.” Pesticides are mentioned as adulterants in Memphis. Some more benign adulterants are reported, including oregano, parsley, and tea flakes. In El Paso, dealers sell marijuana cut with oregano to new users only.

Exhibit 4.

How much does marijuana cost in 19 Pulse Check cities?*

		MOST COMMON STREET UNIT			1 OUNCE
	City/Source	Type	Unit	Price/Change**	Price/Change**
	Boston, MAL	Sinsemilla	1 oz		$80–$100/
	Boston, MAE	NR NR	Bag “Elbow”	$20/ $300–$350/
	New York, NYL	Commercial Sinsemilla and Hydro	1 oz 1 oz		$100–$200/ $300–$1,200/
	New York, NYE	Hydro Bio	Bag Bag	$20/ $10/NR
	Philadelphia, PAL	Commercial	1 oz		$150–$200/
	Philadelphia, PAE	NR	Bag	$10/
	Portland, MEL	High grade	1 oz		$175–$225/
	Columbia, SCL	Mexican or Local commercial	3–4 g	$10/	$180/
	El Paso, TXL	Mexican commercial	1/4 oz	$20/
	El Paso, TXE	NR	Baggie	$20/
	Memphis, TNL	NR	1/4 oz	$25/	$100/
	Memphis, TNE	NR	1/8 oz	$15–$20/
	Miami, FLE	Hydro	1/4 oz	$100–$200/	$150–$200/
	New Orleans, LAL	SW commercial	Joint	$5/	$500/
	Washington, DCE	Commercial “Kindbud” or Hydro	Blunt 1 bag	$10–$20/ $10–$20/	$100/ $480/
	Chicago, ILE	NR	Bag	$5–$10/	$100–$200/
	Detroit, MIL	NR	Bag (1 g)	$10/
	Sioux Falls, SDL	Mexican commercial	1/4 lb	$350–$450/	$100–$200/
	St. Louis, MOL	NR	Bag	$20/	$100/
	Billings, MTL	Sinsemilla	1 oz		$100/
	Denver, COL	Commercial	1 oz		$50/.
	Denver, COE	Mexican commercial Local hydroponic BC bud	1 oz 1 oz 1 oz		$200/ $200–$400/ $600/
	Honolulu, HIL	Sinsemilla	1 g	$25/
	Honolulu, HIE	NR NR	Joint 1 g	$5–$20/ $25/	$400–$800/
	Los Angeles, CAL	Mexican commercial	Joint	$10/	$200–$250/NR
	Los Angeles, CAE	Mexican, Local, and Hydro	Joint	$10/NR	NR
	Seattle, WAE	Local hydroponic Local hydroponic	1 g 1/8 oz	$15–$25/ $40–$50/	$325–$400/
*Respondents in Baltimore did not provide this information. **Arrows indicate up, down, or stable between spring and fall 2001. NOTE: Respondents generally did not provide purity levels. NR= not reported Northeast South West Midwest

How is marijuana referred to and packaged across the country?
(Exhibit 5) Among the many slang terms for marijuana or marijuana smoking across Pulse Check sites, a few new ones are reported: “blaxing” (a high school term for smoking) in Boston; “rugs” in Columbia, SC; “hay” in Memphis; “macaroni” in Miami, where “macaroni and cheese” refers to a $5 pack of marijuana and a “dime” bag of cocaine; “purple haze” in New York; and “LG” (lime green) and “chiefing” (smoking) in St. Louis. In some cities, slang names sometimes refer to the type of marijuana, while dealer brand names often refer to the place of origin, but the two often overlap. In Washington, DC, for example, some dealer designations include “northern lights” (for marijuana from Canada), “Jamaican” (from Jamaica), and “bubble gum” (from Tennessee).

Plastic zipper or sandwich bags remain the most common marijuana packaging, as reported in previous Pulse Checks. The only reported change is in Columbia, SC, where the law enforcement source reports that marijuana used to be rolled up in tinfoil but now tends to be sold in small zipper “head shop” bags of various sizes and colors.

MARIJUANA: THE SELLERS

Who sells marijuana?
Law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic sources generally name young adults (18–30 years) as the predominant marijuana sellers in their communities. Older adults (>30), however, are named in Portland (ME), while adolescents are named in Baltimore and New Orleans. In some cities, such as Billings, Boston, Denver, El Paso, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, two or more age groups are named. These sellers are very or somewhat likely to use their own drug, according to nearly every law enforcement and epidemiologic/ ethnographic source. They are more likely to be involved in nonviolent crimes, such as thefts, than in violent crimes. And, as reported in past Pulse Checks, they are more likely to operate independently than as part of organized operations. However, organizations with varying degrees of structure do exist in several cities. Since the last reporting period, only a few changes are reported:

Exhibit 5.

How is marijuana referred to in different regions of the country?

• Denver, CO^L: While young adults are the primary sellers, older adults are emerging as a new seller group.

• Miami, FL^L: An emerging group of sellers is reported: Cuban refugees who are beginning to set up marijuana grow houses.

• Portland, ME^L: The somewhat loose organization of older adult sellers is becoming more organized. Some younger adults, however, operate independently.

• Washington, DC^E: The number of organized “crews” has been decreasing, as has marijuana trafficking in general, because selling ½ pound or more of marijuana is now considered a felony, rather than a misdemeanor.

What other drugs do marijuana dealers sell?
Law enforcement and epidemiologic/ethnographic sources continue to report that crack and powder cocaine are the drugs most commonly sold by marijuana dealers (in Boston, Billings, Columbia (SC), Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New York, St. Louis, and Sioux Falls). Additionally, marijuana is sold with ecstasy (in Boston, Honolulu, Memphis, Miami, and New York), with heroin (in Denver, New Orleans, New York, and St. Louis), with methamphetamine (in Denver, Honolulu, and Sioux Falls), with Rohypnol® (in El Paso), with prescription pills (in Memphis), and with PCP (in New Orleans). In Baltimore, heroin is only occasionally sold with marijuana, “when they come across a deal,” according to the ethnographic source. In Chicago, heroin and cocaine are sometimes sold on the same street as marijuana, but not by the same person.

Where is marijuana sold?
As reported in past Pulse Checks, marijuana, more than other drugs, tends to be sold both indoors and outdoors and in all types of geographic areas—central city, suburban, and rural. The specific sales settings remain varied, with only a handful of changes since the last Pulse Check:

• Honolulu, HI^E: Marijuana sales have declined in public housing developments because of increased police efforts in those areas, with major “cleanups” and “walkthroughs” over the past 18 months.

• Memphis, TN^E: Marijuana availability in distribution networks has increased in several areas, particularly in less overt settings, such as in nightclubs, at shopping malls, over the Internet, in playgrounds and parks, at private parties, in hotels/ motels, around supermarkets, inside cars, and in the workplace.

• Miami, FL^E: Marijuana transactions, like cocaine and ecstasy transactions, used to be conducted primarily in private homes, but have been gradually shifting to prearranged rendezvous, deliveries, and exchanges.

MARIJUANA: THE USERS

Who uses marijuana?
(Exhibits 6, 7, and 8) The differences between the Pulse Check source categories are most apparent with regard to the marijuana user populations they describe. For example, epidemiologic/ ethnographic sources tend to report that marijuana users are most likely to be males, are equally likely to be either adolescents (13–17 years) or young adults (18–30), and are equally likely to reside in central city, suburban, and rural areas. Non-methadone treatment sources, however, tend to report that users are predominantly young adult males who live in the central city. By contrast, methadone treatment sources tend to describe users who are older than 30 years, are equally likely to be either males or females, and most commonly reside in the central city. Furthermore, methadone treatment sources are more likely than their nonmethadone counterparts to report that marijuana users have completed high school.

Exhibit 6.

What age group is most likely to use marijuana?

Exhibit 7.

Where are drug users most likely to reside?

The different sources, however, are more uniform in reporting racial/ethnic distributions: Whites and Blacks tend to be the predominant marijuana users in approximately equal numbers of cities, according to all the sources. Similarly, all sources generally agree that marijuana use cuts across all socioeconomic groups, although, during this reporting period, low socioeconomic status is slightly more represented than high and middle status.

Compared with users of other drugs, marijuana users are more likely to reside in all locations (central city, suburban, and rural areas), according to epidemiologic/ethnographic sources in nine cities: Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Memphis, New Orleans, Portland (ME), St. Louis, and Seattle. They are also more likely than users of other drugs to be referred to treatment through courts or the criminal justice system, schools, and employers, according to non-methadone treatment sources.

How do marijuana users take marijuana?
As reported in the last Pulse Check, joints remain the most common vehicle for smoking marijuana. However, blunts (hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana) are more common than joints in many cities, as reported by epidemiologic/ethnographic and non-methadone treatment sources. According to methadone treatment sources, however, Baltimore is the only city where blunts are more common than joints. Other, less commonly reported delivery systems include pipes and bongs (in Denver, El Paso, Los Angeles, Miami, St. Louis, and Seattle), bowls with four or five pipes (in Seattle), and baked brownies (in Honolulu and Portland [ME]). Small pipes are known as “one-hitters” in St. Louis. In Philadelphia, blunts are sometimes dipped in honey.

Several epidemiologic/ethnographic sources note changes in blunt or joint use since the last Pulse Check reporting period:

Marijuana users, as a group, have changed in several ways since the last Pulse Check reporting period:
Age:	Billings, MTN: Marijuana users are becoming younger—some initiate use as early as 8 years. Boston, MAE: Many marijuana users older than 30 are “maturing out”—a term used by Charles Winnick in 1964 to describe giving up drugs because other things become more important. Young adults are the predominant users, but use is not uncommon among adolescents as young as 13 years. Chicago, ILL: The program is seeing more adolescent marijuana users because it is changing in order to include them. Columbia, SCE: While adolescents are the predominant user group, the number of young adults has increased slightly since the last Pulse Check reporting period, possibly due to random fluctuations. Miami, FLE: The emerging group of preadolescents (<13 years) perceive regular marijuana use as less harmful than do older youth, possibly because debates over medical marijuana are sending mixed messages to youth. According to the State school survey, middle school (sixth, seventh, and eighth grade) marijuana use has increased. Memphis, TNE: Marijuana use appears evenly distributed among adolescents, young adults, and older adults. An increase, however, is noted among older adults. Philadelphia, PAE: More younger and fewer older people are initiating marijuana use.
Gender:	New Orleans, LAE: Females have been increasingly using marijuana: they now nearly equal the number of male users. Philadelphia, PAE: Females continue to increase among marijuana users. Sioux Falls, SDE: A new user group is reported: White preadolescent (<13 years) suburban girls from middle socioeconomic backgrounds who smoke joints at home, at private parties, and in hotel/motel settings.
Race:	Columbia, SCE: The percentage of users who are White has increased slightly since the last Pulse Check reporting period. However, Whites remain underrepresented, and users are still more likely to be Black. Memphis, TNE: In a reversal since the last Pulse Check, Blacks, rather than Whites, are the predominant marijuana user group. Washington, DCE: Hispanic users have increased, but Black central city users still predominate, followed by White middle-socioeconomic clubgoers.
Socioeconomic Status:	Philadelphia, PAE: Users are predominantly from low socioeconomic backgrounds, but those from mid-socioeconomic backgrounds are increasing.
Residence:	Boston, MAE: Marijuana use is increasing in rural areas, but central city and suburban areas still predominate. Memphis, TNE: With people increasingly moving to the suburbs and rural areas, marijuana users are equally likely to reside in those areas as well as in the central city—which was the predominant area reported in the last Pulse Check.

• Boston, MA: Because anti-tobacco laws are being increasingly enforced, blunt use over the past year has declined among adolescents, who find it easier to buy joint rolling paper than to buy tobacco products. Blunts are still common, however, among users in their twenties and thirties.

• Memphis, TN: Blunts have slightly overtaken joints as the predominant vehicle of marijuana administration since the last Pulse Check reporting period.

• Miami, FL: Marijuana is now smoked primarily in pipes and bongs, representing a shift over the past few years. Joints have become rarer because they involve more people and are thus more detectable; blunts have become less popular because they are too expensive.

• New Orleans, LA: Marijuana is smoked predominantly in joints, but blunts are occasionally reported (although they are not called blunts), mostly among out-oftowners.

• New York, NY: When blunts first appeared on the scene, users would gut commercial cigars and refill them with marijuana. Soon thereafter, users began rolling their own blunts in frontal leaves, which were available in two colors. They then switched to an unrolled wrap sold in a plastic bag. The latest development is a rolled commercial wrap, packaged in cellophane similar to a small cigar, that comes in flavors such as cognac and chocolate. These wraps are commercially available for $1 apiece in stores and on the Internet.

• Philadelphia, PA: The blunt wrap, a new product introduced in October 2001, is a tobacco leaf that is moister, fresher, slower burning, and less messy than gutted cigars, whose preparation requires sharp objects or fingernails. A five-pack sells for $2 over the Internet and in stores, and one wrap sells for $1 on street corners. Wraps come in several flavors, including vanilla, chocolate, and honey. They are known on the street as “snoop dogs” or “snoops,” after the person who first promoted the product.

Exhibit 8.

How are different drug users referred to treatment?

What other drugs do marijuana users take?
As reported in past Pulse Checks, some marijuana users take a wide range of additional drugs—including crack, powder cocaine, heroin, PCP, ecstasy, and even embalming fluid—sometimes sequentially and sometimes in combination. Since the last report, several changes are reported in this aspect of marijuana use:

• Baltimore, MD^E: According to unconfirmed reports, marijuana and ecstasy are being used sequentially.

• Boston, MA^E: Minority high school students are increasingly using both marijuana and ecstasy.

• Boston, MA^M: Some clients are using marijuana as a mild substitute for heroin, sometimes to manage anger.

• Boston, MA^N: To enhance poorer quality marijuana, some clients are alternately using marijuana and powder cocaine.

• Columbia, SC^N: Using marijuana and ecstasy sequentially, while not a new practice, is increasingly reported. The use of “wets”—marijuana plus embalming fluid—is becoming increasingly routine.

• Memphis, TN^E: Increased marijuana use is part of a general increase in polydrug use. Users seem to be in constant search of another drug that will create a slightly different effect. Several substances are newly reported during this period as taken in combination with or sequentially with marijuana: alcohol, prescription drugs (particularly benzodiazepines), and powder cocaine. “Sherman sticks” are the name for the newly reported combination of marijuana plus powder cocaine.

• Miami, FL^L: Younger users are lacing marijuana cigarettes with heroin.

• Seattle, WA^E: The practice of combining marijuana with embalming fluid is becoming more rare.

• Sioux Falls, SD^E: Several users who were combining marijuana with a substance called “red rock” thought they had bought opium: testing, however, showed that the substance was actually methamphetamine.

Where and with whom is marijuana used?
Epidemiologic/ethnographic and non-methadone treatment sources tend to report that marijuana is equally likely to be used either publicly or privately. Methadone treatment sources, however, tend to report more private than public use. They also generally report that users smoke marijuana while alone, while non-methadone treatment sources tend to report more small-group use. The majority of epidemiologic/ethnographic sources, however, report that solo and small-group use are equally likely.

Only a few sources describe any changes in where or with whom marijuana users smoke their drug:

• Billings, MT^E: Raves have increased, but they are still generally drug free: users tend to smoke marijuana in the car on the way to and from the raves.

• Memphis, TN^E: Marijuana is increasingly used in private and while alone. Public use and social use were reported as predominant during the last Pulse Check reporting period; during the current period, however, marijuana is equally likely to be used both in public and in private, both while alone and in groups among friends.

• New Orleans, LA^E: Two shifts have occurred. On the one hand, use has declined around schools because of new stricter laws. On the other hand, overt smoking has increased, even near treatment centers and police facilities.

• Philadelphia, PA^E: For the first time, marijuana use is reported at “speakeasies.” These organized events, which take place in private residences where participants need to know someone to get in, usually involve jazz music, a pool table, card games, a room for sex, and staged fights. Participants are predominantly older (>30 years) Blacks. Until recently, substance use at these events was usually limited to alcohol (moonshine).

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⁺ The following symbols appear throughout this chapter to indicate type of respondent: ^LLaw enforcement respondent, ^EEpidemiologic/ethnographic respondent, ^NNon-methadone treatment respondent, and ^MMethadone treatment respondent.

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