Ethnographers
Sources in all areas of the country report that both cocaine powder ( HC1) and crack are
readily available though many areas, including New York, have seen recent large seizures.
However, in most areas , the dIand for cocaine has stabilized or even declined. Eleven of the
seventeen ethnographers describe cocaine use as "stable" or "stable at a high level" in their
area; reporters in Los Angeles, New York, and Denver report that use has declined slightly.
Heavy cocaine and crack use is becoming more concentrated in a core of older, regular
users. Several sources (Texas, California, Colorado, Florida) characterize the population as
older, established drug users who live mainly in inner city areas. In Los Angeles, cocaine and
crack users are described as "an aging population." Notably, few new users are surfacing in
Iergency rooms or in similar settings that would imply a growing population. Only Baltimore
reports a continuous rise in new users.
However, there are some pockets of change. In Texas, cocaine use has increased in some
middle income communities, and in Delaware and Washington, D.C., there are more new
fIale cocaine users. The ethnographer in Atlanta reports that while crack is found primarily
in inner city areas, it has become more common in some nearby suburbs.
Drugs that are used in combination with cocaine include heroin (in a speedball), alcohol,
and marijuana. In Los Angeles, methamphetamine, a popular stimulant, is also used with or as
a substitute for cocaine. In Austin and Miami, sources report increased popularity of Rohypnol,
Ketamine, and MDMA among cocaine users.
Ethnographers report that high-level distributors include Mexicans, Colombians, and
Dominicans. In some areas, all three groups supply the street markets (Texas, Florida,
Washington, D.C.) while in others, suppliers are predominantly Colombian (New York, New
Jersey, Connecticut). At the street level, cocaine and crack are sold by young non-users. These
entrepreneurs may invest a small amount of capital for cocaine HCl, which they cook into crack
to be packaged and sold at a profit. In some areas, like New York and New Jersey, they sell
cocaine powder since users there prefer to cook their own crack. In some Southern areas (Texas,
Georgia), African Americans and Hispanics dominate street level sales.
Three areas (Connecticut, Colorado, Illinois) report that cocaine sellers are organized in gangs.
Prices and purchase amounts vary. In some areas in the East (Connecticut, New York, and
Delaware), cocaine is sold in $10 to $20 bags. In Florida, Southern California, and
Washington, D.C., rocks, vials, or bags of crack are sold for $5 to $10. Grams of cocaine
powder range in price from $75 (Washington, D.C.) to $125 (St. Petersburg, FL). Sources
report that the purity of cocaine is variable or high; only three sources report that purity is below
50 percent.
In New York, heightened enforcement of bans on crack paraphernalia (stems, pipes, screens)
has led users to improvise modes of ingestion. Typically, water pipes used for smoking crack
have two glass stems connected to a round chamber; one is thick and heat resistant and the user
inhales from the other one, which is thin and more fragile. Some area stores were selling only
the thin pipe, which is hazardous because it can shatter when used as the lighting end of the
pipe. In addition, law enforcement officials have focused on cocaine sales from small food
markets (bodegas), which has increased the number of sales from private apartments and home
deliveries of cocaine HCl, known as "home sales."
Police
Police sources in some areas (Alabama, Colorado, Ohio, Oregon) report increases in the
availability of cocaine, though most sources report that the market is stable or declining. In
Denver, seizures of cocaine in powdered form are up 200 percent from last year and crack
seizures are up over 100 percent. Sources in Oregon and Washington both note that there has
been a rise in cocaine use in their area, but say it is directly linked to a recent shortage of the
stimulant methamphetamine; many users switched to cocaine as a substitute.
In many areas, cocaine/crack use is stable or declining. While the market for cocaine in
powdered form is still active, most buyers are purchasing it to make crack. In Cleveland, police
sources describe the use of cocaine HCl as "virtually going away," though crack is still
popular. In Boston and Washington, D.C., sources report that cocaine use is down.
Police in Washington, D.C. also describe crack use as "bottoming out." They report that
over the last year, crack has developed an image as a drug that makes users particularly volatile
and irrational. In addition, crack markets may be viewed as inherently dangerous. The D.C.
source comments that "you see hard-using heroin users afraid of crack. There have been too
many casualties in the war."
Police sources in some areas (Maryland, Washington, D.C.) confirm ethnographers' reports
of dealers selling both heroin and cocaine. Sources identify Colombian, Dominican, Jamaican
and Mexican primary suppliers. Street-level dealers are often young males who are ethnically
matched to the neighborhoods where they sell. Sources in Western areas report that Mexican
and other Hispanic sellers are common.
Cocaine prices seI to vary considerably across the country, though they have remained
stable in general. Massachusetts and Oregon sources report that an ounce of cocaine powder
costs approximately $800 while an ounce in Washington or Colorado runs from $1000-$1800.
Prices of crack rocks are between $15-$20 for 1/10 gram in Alabama; in Colorado, a larger 1/4
gram rock costs the same amount. Purity in general is described as good (over 50%).
Treatment Providers
The proportion of clients in treatment with cocaine as the primary drug problem differs little
from what was reported in Pulse Check last winter. Approximately half of clients in the
Northeast (Region I) and a third in the Mid-Atlantic/Southern states and the Mid-Western states
(Regions II and III) are in treatment for cocaine abuse. There are considerably fewer clients
entering treatment with cocaine as their primary drug of abuse in the West (Region IV) because
methamphetamine, marijuana and an assortment of other drugs are prevalent in that area. Most
users who enter treatment for cocaine abuse are smoking crack rather than using powdered
cocaine. In all regions, alcohol abuse is a major problem for cocaine treatment clients.
Treatment providers report that cocaine users are a diverse group. Some people in treatment
are quite young (under 20), though the majority are young adults (20-30 years) or older. The
rise in the number of people in treatment for cocaine abuse over age 30 corresponds with
ethnographic sources who describe an "aging" population. In addition, many people in
treatment for cocaine abuse have had prior treatment; with the exception of the Western region,
more than 60 percent of clients have been in treatment before.
Ten treatment providers mention a noticeable increase in the number of clients who have
concurrent problems of drug use (particularly cocaine) and mental illness. They are often called
"mentally ill chemical abuse" (MICA) or "dual diagnosis" clients. MICA clientsū mental
health problems (depression, general anxiety disorder, schizophrenia) may or may not be related
to substance abuse. These clients pose problems for drug treatment providers because they may
need specialized services and/or medication for their mental illness that are not available through
drug treatment programs. Dual diagnosis clients are described as older users who have been
using cocaine or crack for several years and have several family, medical, legal, housing, and
Iployment problems. One treatment provider comments that "we want to help, but they (dual
diagnosis clients) strain an already strained situation because they need and use so many of our
limited resources."
