Pulse Check: National Trends in Drug Abuse
Spring 1996
Table 1
Ethnographers' Report on Heroin:
April 1996
City Incidence Who's Using Change in Method Other Emerging Who's Selling
Users Drugs Drugs
Bridgepo up wide range, more inhaling cocaine young non-
rt, CN including young injecting crack users; gangs
(Geter) teenagers users
San stable older users none injecting cocaine Quaaludes organized
Antonio/ ; crime:
El Paso, squirting Mexican Mafia
TX into the and Texas
(Ramos) nose Side
Syndicate
Los stable traditional more smoking African
Angeles, older users smoking American and
CA Hispanic
(Annon) sellers
San up traditional more injecting methamphe methamphe
Francisc older users as young , t-amine t-amine
o, CA well as some users inhaling
(Murphy) new, young
users
Washingt stable wide range more new users cocaine inhalants young dealers
on, DC from women, inhale; crack LSD who also use;
(Shu) adolescents to more older alcohol Clonidine all
those in 50s; young users benzodiaz- ethnicities
all users inject epines
ethnicities
New stable all new, injecting cocaine "club Young "crews"
York, NY ethnicities young smoking drugs" are now
(Goldsmi and both users inhaling dealing both
th) genders heroin and
cocaine.
Atlanta, up older users as young injecting crack methamphe white males
GA well as young crack inhaling t-amine, and African
(Sterk- crack users users MDMA American
Elifon) shifting to shifting males in 20s
heroin to heroin
Denver, up older users none injecting methadone methamphe Mexican
CO (35-50); all cocaine t-amine nationals and
(Koester ethnicities; alcohol Hondurans
) low dose
methadone
clients
Miami, up older users more injecting cocaine Rohypnol
FL deaths in Ketamine
(Page) related speedball
to use
St. very low none
Petersbu
rg,
FL(Miecz
k-owski)
Trenton/ stable older users as more inhaling alcohol MDMA African
Newark, well as new young injecting cocaine American
NJ users in their users, users/sellers
(French) 20s more in their 20s
working
class
users
New stable some young none injecting cocaine Colombians
York, NY users; many inhaling now selling
(Galea) traditional heroin also;
older users more home
sales
Austin, up older users, none injecting cocaine psilocybi Hispanics
TX white and n sell Mexican
(Maxwell Hispanic Rohypnol heroin; West
) PCP Africans sell
GHB Southeast
Asian heroin.
Newark, up young users, more inhaling club Ketamine Source
DE mixed fIales injecting drugs Rohypnol dealers are
(Pazzagl ethnicities LSD "smart adult
ini) cocaine drugs"1 organized
crime
mIbers; kids
deal on the
street.
Baltimor up people in 30s more inhaling cocaine PCP Connections
e, MD or 40s; some young injecting methadone Xanax for sales are
(Murdoch young, second users who Clonidine from New
) generation primarily York; fewer
users inhale levels of
distribution
than in other
cities
San stable males 25-50 more injecting cocaine MDMA Hispanic
Diego, years old, all younger inhaling methamphe MDA males
CA ethnicities users t-amine Ketamine
(Pennell
)
Chicago, up in traditional more injecting cocaine gangs
IL some older users; young inhaling
(Johnson parts of substantial users,
) city; number of especiall
stable in young (under y fIales
others 26 ) users
Table 1 (cont'd.)
Ethnographers' Report on Heroin: April 1996
City Purchase Purity Other/Comments
Amount
Bridgeport, $10/bag high (60%) Drug trafficking area of the city looks like
CN Beirut from the deterioration and abandonment.
(Geter) More "one on one" sales.
San variable
Antonio/El
Paso, TX
(Ramos)
Los Angeles, $10/bag Anecdotal information points to increased
CA availability of purer white heroin in addition
(Annon) to the regular Mexican heroin.
San $25-$40/bag high (over 50%) High incidence of use of methamphetamine,
Francisco, (1/4 oz.) particularly in middle class population. Also
CA see heroin users speedballing with
(Murphy) methamphetamine.
Washington, $5-10/bag or high $5 pills or bags available called "pee wee
DC capsule caps"; $6-10 bags or capsules called "jumbo
(Shu) caps"; increased appearance of suburban
buyers.
New York, NY $5, $10/bag high, though Some Colombian sellers are forcing cocaine
(Goldsmith) harmful dealers to take heroin to distribute. This is
adulterants found done on credit, forcing the dealer to unload
increasingly the heroin. Many are not experienced in
heroin "cutting" and use poor adulterants.
Atlanta, GA $150- 40-75% Increases among methadone clients now
(Sterk- $250/gram returning to heroin use ("old timers") and
Elifon) crack users who are switching to heroin.
Denver, CO $20/"pill" variable Mexican brown and black tar heroin sold in a
(Koester) "pill" the size of an aspirin. It is cooked
up and injected. Many combine heroin and
methadone (while on low doses of methadone in
treatment).
Miami, FL $10/bag poor (15%) but Increasing potency has created increased
(Page) increasing interest among injectors. Heroin related
deaths now equal cocaine related deaths; more
people shooting heroin exclusively.
St. Some anecdotal evidence of a few users, but no
Petersburg, apparent growth in size of user population.
FL
(Mieczkowski
)
Trenton/Newa $15/bag high (60%) There are more working class white users
rk, NJ coming into the city to buy.
(French)
New York, NY $5, $10/bag variable but Starting to see Colombians using cocaine
(Galea) generally high market to sell heroin; Dominican who sold only
Colombian cocaine before now selling heroin;
many new sellers using poor cuts.
Austin, TX poor (15-18%) Users are still the older cohort from the
(Maxwell) 1970s and early 80s.
Newark, DE $10-$30/bag variable Increase in heroin use linked to increase in
(Pazzaglini) prostitution in the area.
Baltimore, $5, $6, high purity (70%) It's hard to imagine prices falling any lower.
MD $10/caps sold for There is no size or purity difference between
(Murdoch) inhaling; less a $6 and a $10 capsule_just the time of day
pure (10%) sold the sale is made.
for injecting
San Diego, $15-$20 for 40-60% More kids, especially Hispanics, are snorting
CA 2/10 gram because they feel it is not as addictive and
(Pennell) $140- doesn't carry the stigma of the needle.
$200/gram
Chicago IL $5, $10, $20 variable Gangs sell all the drugs. There has been
(Johnson) units increased violence on the streets, indicating
new competition among sellers. More overdoses
have occurred.
_______________________________
1 This group includes legally produced herbal compounds and
illegally produced club drugs like Ketamine.
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