Part II: Cocaine
According to most Pulse Check sources, the market for cocaine and crack appears to have stabilized, though in many areas it is at a high level, and in a couple of areas, there has been a re-emergence of cocaine powder after a period of low availability. While crack cocaine is still the dominant illicit drug on the national scene, it appears that crack users are an aging group. Some sources report that crack use has become unfashionable, and has developed the image of a "junkie" or "burnout" drug among young, new drug users. As a result, these users are not as likely to try crack, though they may be trying heroin instead. Prices for both cocaine HC1 and crack appear to be stable or declining, though this has not led to a noticeable effect on use. The proportion of clients who enter treatment for cocaine/crack abuse appears to have remained stable since the last Pulse Check.
Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources (Table 4)
Seven out of nine sources say that the use of cocaine, both in powdered form (HCl) and as crack, is stable in their areas though four (i.e., San Antonio/El Paso, Seattle, Denver, and Atlanta) say that it is at a high level. The source in Atlanta reports that crack is still "by far the dominant drug on the market" but its use has begun to stabilize. Only New York State and Austin sources say that it has gone down since the last Pulse Check.
Cocaine and crack still attract a wider variety of users than heroin. Most areas report that there are younger and older users, of all ethnicities and both sexes. In Miami, Bridgeport, and Atlanta, there continue to be some new, young users, particularly in the club scene, where cocaine smoked in powdered form remains popular when available. In Texas, younger, middle class White or Hispanic users are also attracted to cocaine powder rather than crack, which is more frequently consumed by older African-American users.
The Miami reporter notices that "crack users, both under and over 30, are regarded as the neighborhood burnouts, even in inner-city areas." This was echoed by sources in Denver, Atlanta, and San Francisco. San Francisco and Denver sources find crack users to be an "aging" crowd, with few younger, new users attracted to it. Among at-risk Denver youth, who might have been attracted to crack in the past, the drug is becoming unfashionable. Unfortunately, the trendy alternative in that area is increasingly another stimulant, methamphetamine. The exception to this trend appears to be in Austin, where there has been a recent increase in the number of young Hispanic females using crack or free-basing HCl.
When cocaine is used, smoking it as crack is still the most common method everywhere. In this Pulse Check, there are more reports of users combining crack with heroin, either smoked or injected. Users who inject cocaine are primarily heroin users who add cocaine periodically in a speedball combination. That is, their primary drug is heroin, not cocaine. Ethnographers from Texas, New York, and Georgia describe users transforming crack into a soluble form and injecting it. In suburban New York and Atlanta, some crack users dissolve crack in vinegar and water and inject it or crush crack pieces into a fine powder and snort it. While smoking crack has not been routinely associated with heroin use, these transformation methods are making crack an easy companion drug for heroin, either by injection or snorting.
Some users report that they consume heroin to reduce the overstimulation associated with heavy crack use; others are switching to heroin as it becomes more plentiful and as easy or easier to obtain than crack or cocaine in powdered form. This is described in the special section on developments in patterns of heroin use.
The cocaine/crack market continues to merge with the heroin market in some areas (i.e., Bridgeport, San Francisco, San Antonio/El Paso, and Seattle). While the two markets have traditionally been distinct, with crack sellers typically being young, non-users who may be in a gang, and heroin sellers being older users who distribute to a network of acquaintances, there is now considerable overlap between the two. In Bridgeport and in Seattle, double-breasted dealing is becoming more organized. The majority of sellers in these areas are not users themselves, are most often young males, and are organized in crews or gangs. In Bridgeport, dealers have closed the market to new distributors, making it difficult for independent operators to sell and producing widespread turf battles.
By contrast, in Atlanta, the dealing structure is not highly specialized and appears organized more loosely along ethnic lines (e.g., African-Americans deal crack; Whites deal methamphetamine). The Atlanta source notes that the crack trade of the 1980s, with its introduction of very small and inexpensive units at the street level, has forced dealers of all drugs to market in smaller units in order to attract users with only ten or twenty dollars to spend.
In Texas, crack and HCl distribution are managed by Mexican dealers with ties to established criminal organizations (the Mexican syndicate and the Mexican Mafia) that operate on both sides of the border. Mid-level distribution of powdered cocaine is managed by Whites, and street-level distribution of crack is handled by Hispanic and African-American youths, some with gang involvement.
Prices for both HC1 and crack appear to be dropping, though there are regional variations. In Denver, a piece of crack sells for approximately $5-10; in Atlanta, a piece sells for $3-5; and in Texas, pieces can start as low as $1. In Texas, the $5 and $10 piece of crack, which was a staple of the market, is now less common. Instead, "shavings" of crack are sold even more inexpensively. Atlanta also reports active competition between the crack and methamphetamine markets, with comparable prices attracting the same customers.
Law Enforcement Sources (Table 5)
Police sources in four areas (i.e, Baltimore, San Antonio/El Paso, Trenton, and Cleveland) report that cocaine and crack availability has gone up as of this Pulse Check. Baltimore law enforcement sources find that crack is the drug most often involved in arrests and that cocaine HC1 is beginning to appear on the streets again after a period of low availability.
Four police contacts describe cocaine use and availability as stable (i.e., New York, Miami, Washington, DC, and Columbia), and two report a slight decline (i.e., Chicago, Bridgeport). Police sources in New York describe crack as "in every neighborhood, in our best high schools, in our best colleges." However, sources in Chicago report that cocaine is currently not as available as in previous reports. In fact, sellers have reduced the amount of cocaine used in production of crack so much so that there have been seizures of crack that do not contain any cocaine. That is, the "crack" is made up completely of substances used to "cut" the drug. Miami police note that seizure statistics and intelligence from informants suggest that there is less cocaine available at the wholesale level.
Like ethnographic and epidemiologic sources, police report a diverse group of users of crack and HC1. Crack appears to be somewhat more popular among older users, confirming ethnographic reports that new users are less likely to try crack. Powdered cocaine is somewhat more popular among users under 30. San Antonio and Bridgeport police report a recent increase in use among middle-class users. The Baltimore source also notes that they are seeing some new young users of cocaine, snorting it in powdered form. In Bridgeport, police find a number of White suburban users coming into the dealing areas of the city from nearby affluent communities to buy both crack and cocaine powder.
Law enforcement sources in suburban Maryland indicate that synthetic substances ("designer powder") are appearing on the market and being sold as cocaine. Baltimore police sources report that after a period of low availability of both HCl and crack, supplies are up again and many dealers are now offering users anything from one or two "baggies" to multi-ounce quantities.
In Florida and along the Southwest border, middle- and upper-level dealers are likely to be Hispanic. In all areas, street-level dealers are likely to match local demographics for both crack and powder.
In Bridgeport, Trenton, and Washington, D.C., there is continuing evidence of dealers selling both heroin and cocaine. This confirms ethnographic reports of double-breasting in those areas. However, in Washington, D.C., these sellers are older users, unlike in other areas where double-breasting tends to be conducted by young, entrepreneurial non-users.
Law enforcement sources report that cocaine prices remain stable since the last Pulse Check. At the street level, a vial containing small pieces or a rock of crack ranges from $5-10 and a gram of cocaine HCl costs from $70-100. At the kilo level, prices range from $18,000 along the Southwest border to $20,000-25,000 in the Mid-Atlantic region. All police sources report that purity is high at larger purchase levels, though variable at street level.
Treatment Providers (Table 6)
Treatment providers everywhere report that approximately the same proportion of clients enter treatment for cocaine or crack abuse as the last Pulse Check. The proportion is highest in the Northeast (37%) and lowest in the Mid-Atlantic and South (21%). The Northeast and West/Southwest have the largest percentage of programs that are experiencing a decrease in the proportion of cocaine clients entering treatment.
The majority of cocaine treatment clients (78%-93%) are either snorting cocaine in powdered form or smoking the drug as crack. The Mid-Atlantic and South have a somewhat higher proportion of injectors than other regions, but this proportion is still relatively low (22%), which confirms ethnographic and police reports that users who inject cocaine only are rare. Treatment providers state that the majority of cocaine injectors have a concurrent heroin addiction, and typically add cocaine as a secondary drug in a speedball combination. These individuals are more likely to appear for treatment of heroin as their primary problem, though they are also abusers of cocaine. Several treatment providers also mentioned that more crack clients appear to suffer from mental illness than users of other substances.
The most commonly reported "other" drugs used by clients in treatment for cocaine abuse are alcohol and marijuana. Three providers from the West/Southwest report that cocaine appears to be a substitute for methamphetamine for many users, given the enormous popularity of methamphetamine in that region. When meth is not available, these users may look for cocaine. Methamphetamine, however, is more desirable since it is generally less expensive and longer-acting than cocaine. Programs in the West and Southwest report that, on average, 26 percent of clients also have a problem with amphetamines.
Cocaine and crack clients in treatment are also an "aging population" as the drug becomes less popular with younger users. Treatment providers in the West/Southwest and in the Northeast report that a large proportion of clients (45-60%) are over 30. One large California program reports that 50 percent of their cocaine clients are over 40 years old.
