Pulse Check: National Trends in Drug Abuse
Spring 1996

Table 5
Police Report on Cocaine:
April 1996


     
   City     Incidence    Who's Using    Change in   Method     Other    Emerging    Who's Selling
                                          Users                Drugs      Drugs
Birmingham  up         diverse group    more       smoking   marijuana             white males 18-
, AL                                    upper      inhaling                        20
P.D.                                    income
                                        users
Yakima, WA  stable                                 injectio  marijuana  methamphe  Large Hispanic
DEA                                                n                    t-amine    family
                                                                                   organizations.
Maryland    stable                                 smoking                         Cocaine
State                                              injectin                        dealers now
Police                                             g                               sell heroin
                                                                                   also.
Boston, MA  down                        fewer      smoking   marijuana             Dominicans and
P.D.                                    crack                                      Colombians
                                        users
Seattle,    stable                                 smoking   methamphe  methamphe  Hispanics deal
WA                                                 inhaling  t-amine    t-amine    at street
P.D.                                                                               level.

Miami, FL   stable                                 smoking                         Street level
P.D.                                               inhaling                        crack dealers
                                                                                   are teenagers.
Washington  down       wide range of    none       smoking   PCP                   primary
DC P.D.                users for                   inhaling  Xanax                 suppliers are
                       crack; HCl                            Percocet              Colombian,
                       users are                             Dilaudid              Jamaican,
                       middle aged,                                                Cuban,
                       more affluent                                               Dominicans;
                                                                                   more one on
                                                                                   one sales.
Denver, CO  stable     upper income     none       inhaling  heroin                Mexican
P.D.                   white users for             smoking   methamphe             nationals
                       HCl; African                          t-amine
                       American users
                       for crack
Eugene, OR  up                                     inhaling                        Hispanic
P.D.                                               injectin                        sellers
                                                   g
Cleveland,  crack up                    more       smoking   marijuana  psilocybi  
OH          HCl down                    adult                heroin     n
P.D.                                    users                


Table 5 (cont'd.)
Police Report on Cocaine: April 1996
City Purchase Purity Other/Comments Amount Birmingham, $15-$20/ AL 1/10 gram P.D. crack Yakima, WA $650- 80-90% Very little HCl use. It comes DEA $700/oz. in as powder and gets distributed as crack. Mexican methamphetamine availability is rising. Maryland $80-$90/gram 7% HCl State Police $10, 85% crack $20/rock Boston, MA $800/oz. 40-60% Crack use appears to be P.D. declining. Seattle, WA $1,200- 60% Methamphetamine users switch P.D. $1,800/oz. to cocaine when supplies of meth get scarce. Miami, FL $1,700/kilo 50% retail P.D. HCl 80-90% $5, wholesale $10/crack rocks Washington $10-100/bag crack: 40-70% Crack use is bottoming out. DC depending on HCl: 60-90% "You see hard using heroin P.D. amount users afraid of crack. There contains (60- have been too many casualties 500 mg.); in the war." large piece of crack called a "meatball") Denver, CO $1,000/oz. HCl (50%) Crack seizures are up over P.D. (HCl) crack (90%) 200% from last year. Cocaine $1,200- HCl seizures up over 100%. $1,400/oz. (crack) Eugene, OR $800/oz. Use has increased lately due P.D. $15, $20/ to scarcity of 1/4 gram methamphetamine. Cleveland, $100/gram Use of HCl powder is virtually OH gone, though crack is still P.D. popular.

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