Heroin
The use of heroin continues to climb in most areas. Twelve of
the fifteen ethnographic sources reported a high incidence of
heroin use in their areas. The number of varieties and sources of
heroin available, combined with an increased domestic demand make
the heroin market the fastest growing drug market reported on in
this Pulse Check.
In those areas where high purity heroin is available, the
practice of inhaling rather than injecting the drug continues to
increase in popularity. Among new users of heroin, particularly
the young, non-urban, middle income users who are increasingly
evident in many areas, the ability to inhale the drug has made it
more attractive and its use more acceptable than in the past, when
injection was the only route of administration available. The
combination of lower prices and increasingly active marketing to
inhalers has had the effect of making heroin more accessible to a
wider range of potential users.
It should be noted that, while there are indications of
increased use of heroin among younger, suburban users, it is the
cadre of older, inner-city heroin users that drive the heroin
market. These users may be both injecting and inhaling the drug.
Almost all areas report that the majority of heroin users are older
drug users (over 30) who have been using for many years. However,
as has been true in the last two editions of the Pulse Check, many
areas (eleven of the fifteen) are reporting an increase in the
number of new, young users. Some of these are described as fairly
affluent, non-urban dwellers who come into the city to buy heroin.
In most cases, these new users are snorting the drug rather than
injecting it.
Ethnographers from four areas reported that heroin was being
sold in nightclubs and at concerts, often to very young users.
Though far less common than other "club drugs" like MDMA, ketamine,
or LSD, heroin can also be found for sale in some clubs.
In general, heroin prices are low, but there is considerable
variation. Some areas report bags of heroin starting as low as
$5.00. Others report somewhat higher prices. In general, purity
is also high, though there is considerable variation even within
the same geographic area.
This quarter there are reports from some areas of changes in
the way heroin is marketed. There continues to be an increase in
the number of urban dealers who sell both heroin and crack,
particularly in those areas where the crack market is on the
decline. New York sources report that, like cocaine, heroin can
now be purchased in many off-street locations, such as superettes
or bodegas, as well as on the street. They also note that
Colombian suppliers who in the past have primarily dealt only
cocaine, are now insisting that their street level sellers also
take heroin for distribution.
Treatment providers report a steady population of older heroin
addicts entering treatment. However, they also report that an
increasing number of young, less experienced users are coming into
treatment. Another indication of a more youthful heroin addict is
the proportion of clients who are new to treatment. Continuing a
trend reported last quarter, in all regions an increasing
percentage of clients in treatment for heroin abuse have never been
in treatment before.
Cocaine
The use of both cocaine and crack has stabilized in most
areas. The only exception is in several areas near the Mexican
border, where cocaine use is on the rise. There is some evidence
that a portion of cocaine users, particularly in the West, are
switching to methamphetamine, a less expensive drug that is both
plentiful there and that has a longer stimulant effect than crack.
However, it is important to bear in mind that while cocaine
use has leveled off, it is still high. For example, in Chicago,
while crack use has stabilized it is also described as "the most
predominant of all drugs, with the most diverse composition of
users including all ages, employed people, housewives, etc.". The
same sentiments are echoed by a number of other sources. Crack is
a serious continuing problem in most areas, but the number of new
users and what seemed an almost ever-increasing activity
surrounding crack for several years has begun to abate in many
areas.
Several sources note that both crack and cocaine HCl users
seem to be an aging group. While in the initial phases of the
crack problem use was concentrated among young adults, users now
are described as in their late twenties and thirties in all areas
but Texas. In the case of El Paso, teens are combining cocaine
with marijuana, (a practice newly discovered in that area), and
often moving from this combination to smoking crack.
New York sources report that many of the older, established
cocaine dealers are offering what is seen to be a poorer quality of
cocaine than the new dealers in the city. Many of these newer
dealers also deal in Colombian heroin. Established suppliers are
offering a product described by users as "gummy" or having a
"bad color," while new sources offer far better quality cocaine.
This may signal an attempt by the Colombians to move from a market
predominated by cocaine into one that relies on both drugs, or,
ultimately, only heroin.
Treatment providers continue to present a picture of leveling
off of cocaine abuse in most areas of the country. Discussion with
fifty-two treatment providers across the country indicates that the
number of clients appearing for treatment of cocaine abuse may have
stabilized. Over three-fourths of providers in each region report
that the number of cocaine abuse clients is unchanged and no one
reports an increase.
Marijuana
Marijuana use remains prevalent. The quality of marijuana
varies from location to location, but the varieties available are
numerous. Many areas markets offer both locally grown marijuana and
marijuana brought in from outside the area. Supply is plentiful in
most areas. All but two ethnographic sources (Atlanta and Los
Angeles) reported high levels of marijuana use. There appears to
be a wide variety of users in most areas, though it is a drug which
is particularly popular among teens and young adults.
"Blunts," cigar-like marijuana cigarettes --either made
entirely of marijuana or with mixtures of marijuana, crack, or PCP
-- continue to be popular. On the Texas border, the popular
practice of smoking cocaine-laced blunts may also be leading to an
increase among teens of smoking crack. In Chicago, a marijuana
cigarette laced with both PCP and crack and called "Ozone" was
marketed over the summer at $15. The popularity of PCP and
marijuana mixtures in some areas is highlighted by the report from
Delaware that many teens who report they only use marijuana are
surprised when they also test positive for PCP on urinalysis.
