NCJ Number
203860
Date Published
May 2003
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report presents a brief update to the status and outlook of the drug threat to Delaware.
Abstract
The report is divided into seven sections; the first provides an overview of the drug threat to Delaware followed by five chapters on the most significant drug threats to the State: heroin, cocaine, marijuana, other dangerous drugs, and methamphetamine. The remaining chapter provides predictions on the future outlook of the drug threat to Delaware. Cocaine poses the most significant drug threat to Delaware. Cocaine-related treatment admissions decreased 12 percent from 974 in 2000 to 854 in 2001. Information is offered on its price, transportation, and distribution in Delaware. Heroin remains a powerful threat to the State and is most readily available in the northern suburbs of Delaware. Heroin-related treatment admissions decreased 9 percent from 2,356 in 2000 to 2,153 in 2001. Marijuana also remains a high threat to Delaware, with treatment admissions for marijuana increasing 23 percent from 1,039 in 2000 to 1,283 in 2001. It is the most readily accessible drug in the State; law enforcement officers seized 1.2 kilograms of marijuana in Delaware during 2002. Generally, most of the marijuana available in Delaware is produced in Mexico. Other dangerous drugs also pose a threat to Delaware. These drugs include MDMA, a widely available and frequently used drug, and diverted pharmaceuticals, such as OxyContin, Ritalin, and Xanax. Methamphetamine distribution and abuse pose a low threat to Delaware. There were 10 recorded treatment admissions for amphetamine-related emergencies in 2001; no methamphetamine-related deaths were reported in Delaware during 2001. While methamphetamine laboratory seizures are rare in the State, methamphetamine finds its way to Delaware from Philadelphia via private vehicles and from Southwestern States via package delivery services. The outlook for the Delaware drug threat indicates that cocaine will remain the number one problem for the State because of the violence associated with its distribution. Map, tables, sources