Office of National 

Drug Control Policy 

PULSE CHECK 

National Trends in Drug Abuse 

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Executive Office of the President 

Office of National Drug Control Policy 

Barry R. McCaffrey, Director 

Summer 1997 

If you have issues viewing or accessing this file, please contact us at NCJRS.gov.

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OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 

PULSE CHECK 

National Trends in Drug Abuse 

Executive Office of the President 

Office of National Drug Control Policy 

Barry R. McCaffrey, Director 

Office of Programs, Budget, Research, and Evaluation 

Released Summer 1997 

Highlights 

The Pulse Check is a report of national trends in illicit drug abuse and drug markets issued by the 

Office of National Drug Control Policy. The Pulse Check draws on conversations with 

ethnographers and epidemiologists working in the drug field, law enforcement agents, and drug 

treatment providers across the country. Below are highlights of this issue of the Pulse Check: 

Heroin 

Sources in most areas report that the market for heroin is up or stable, although some 

report that its rate of growth seems to be slowing. Availability of heroin is high, though 

purity varies from region to region. Street level purchases are generally in 1/8th to 1/10th 

gram units that cost between $10 and $25. 

Most heroin users are the traditional group of older, long-term addicts. However, many 

sources (Bridgeport, New York, Denver, Chicago, Trenton San Antonio, San Diego, and 

Newark) report an increasing number of young users. These young users are primarily 

from inner city areas, and they may be using heroin because they feel it is more 

manageable than crack. 

"Double-breasted dealing" -- dealing both heroin and cocaine -- continues in many areas. 

In some, it is conducted by organized "crews" of young distributors who deliver 

relatively small purchase amounts to both inner city and suburban buyers. These crews 

of distributors have developed more efficient routes of distribution than heroin dealers of 

the past, and they often use beepers to communicate. 

Sources report that more users are injecting, rather than inhaling heroin, even in areas 

where high purity heroin is available. This could show that users have become habituated 

through inhalation, and have switched to injection, which is more efficient. Alternatively, 

it could mean that more users start out injecting when they initiate use. Sources note that 

users are less scared that injection drug use will lead to HIV infection. 

Cocaine 

The market for cocaine is generally stable, though some sources say that cocaine powder 

availability is low, while the availability of crack is stable everywhere. Prices range from 

$50-$150/gram for cocaine powder and from $3-$40/rock or vial of crack. Purity is 

described as "good" to "fair" at the street level. 

The popularity of both forms of the drug is down, particularly among young users who 

disdain crack as a "ghetto drug" or find it unmanageable. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY i 
Innovative methods of cocaine use have been reported by several sources. Some users 

have started to combine cocaine powder or crack with heroin in a "speedball"; some have 

started to cook their own crack from cocaine powder; and some dissolve crack into a 

liquid to inject it. 

Only sources in Birmingham report that cocaine use is rising. While previously it had 

only been popular in the inner city areas, it is now more popular in the suburbs. 

Treatment providers in all areas except the West and Southwest continue to report that 

cocaine is the most commonly cited drug of abuse among their clients. The majority of 

cocaine treatment clients smoke crack and are likely to be older, poly-drug users. 

Marijuana 

Several varieties of marijuana are available in most areas, and prices are within reach of 

teens and young adults. Marijuana continues to be highly popular with awide variety of 

users, particularly young users. 

Marijuana is typically used with alcohol, hallucinogens, cocaine, or sometimes 

methamphetamine. In Miami, marijuana and cocaine are rolled into cigarettes called 

"lace," and in Texas and San Diego, it is combined with crack and called a "primo." 

The percentage of clients entering treatment with marijuana as the primary drug of abuse 

rose slightly. Marijuana treatment clients are predominantly white, and a quarter to a 

third of them is less than 20 years of age. The majority of marijuana treatment clients 

have problems with alcohol abuse, but have had no prior treatment experience. 

Emerging Drugs 

Methamphetamine continues to be a problem in the West and parts of the South. With 

lowered prices, methamphetamine may be a substitute for cocaine, but it also has a strong 

independent following. It is the primary problem of clients entering treatment in many 

areas of the Southwest and West. 

"Club drugs" (e.g., MDMA, Ketamine, GHB, LSD, and illegally used prescription drugs) 

are part of the drug scene in most areas. While the mix of club drugs varies between 

regions, "cafeteria use" -- the use of a number of hallucinogenic and sedative/hypnotic 

club drugs -- is reported almost everywhere. Many treatment providers report that teens 

and young adults enter treatment with a number of these drugs and alcohol, rather than a 

single drug, as their primary problem. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY ii 
Table of Contents 

Highlights ........................................................................................................................................ i 

List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv 

Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 

Description of Sources ................................................................................................................... 2 

Trends in Drug Use: Spring-Fall 1996 ....................................................................................... 3 

Part I: Heroin ................................................................................................................................ 3 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources ............................................................. 3 

Law Enforcement Sources ...................................................................................... 6 

Treatment Providers ................................................................................................ 7 

Part II: Cocaine ............................................................................................................................. 7 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources ............................................................ 7 

Law Enforcement Sources ...................................................................................... 9 

Treatment Providers ................................................................................................ 9 

Part III: Marijuana ....................................................................................................................... 9 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources .......................................................... 10 

Law Enforcement Sources .................................................................................... 11 

Treatment Providers .............................................................................................. 11 

Part IV: Emerging Drugs ........................................................................................................... 11 

Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 12 

Tables ............................................................................................................................................ 14 

Appendix A: Special Methamphetamine Report, December 1996 

Appendix B: Pulse Check Methodology 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY iii 

List of Tables 

Table 1: 

Table 2: 

Table 3: 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Heroin ........................................... 15 

Law Enforcement Report on Heroin ......................................................................... 18 

Treatment Providers Report on Heroin Use Patterns .............................................. 20 

Table 4: Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Cocaine/Crack ............................. 22 

Table 5: Law Enforcement Report on Cocaine/Crack ............................................................ 25 

Table 6: Treatment Providers Report on Cocaine/Crack Use Patterns ................................ 27 

Table 7: Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Marijuana .................................... 29 

Table 8: Law Enforcement Report on Marijuana ................................................................... 32 

Table 9: Treatment Providers Report on Marijuana Use Patterns ....................................... 34 

Table 10: Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Emerging Drugs ........................ 36 

Table 11: Law Enforcement Report on Emerging Drugs .......................................... . ............ 37 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY iv 

Introduction 

The Pulse Check is a quick turnaround report of national trends in illicit drug abuse and 

drug markets issued periodically 1 by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Since its 

inception in 1992, the goal of each Pulse Check has been to capture the most current information 

about drug abuse and drug markets. The Pulse Check draws on conversations with 

ethnographers and epidemiologists working in the drug field, law enforcement agents, and drug 

treatment providers across the country. Approximately seventy-five people are called for each 

report. 

Pulse Check is not a population-based survey and should not be considered a substitute 

for population based, long-term research. Rather, it is designed to provide timely information to 

policy makers and researchers about changes and trends in the drug scene as they develop. The 

information in this issue is drawn from a round of calls made in November of 1996. Information 

from each source is summarized in narrative form by drug, and presented in detailed tables at the 

end of the report. 

This Pulse Check also includes a special report on the methamphetamine market. This 

report was produced in December 1996 and released for limited distribution in January 1997. 

Unlike the regular Pulse Check, this report examines six States in the West and Southwest that 

have been hit particularly hard by the problems associated with methamphetamine abuse and 

trafficking. The special methamphetamine report can be found in Appendix A. 

The Pulse Check is produced by Dr. Dana Hunt and the staff of Abt Associates under 

contract to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Information is obtained through lengthy 

conversations with drug ethnographers and epidemiologists, law enforcement agents, and drug 

treatment providers across the country. The first two sources are selected to represent various 

areas of the country and are generally the same reporters for each round of calls. The treatment 

providers are drawn randomly each time from a national directory of treatment programs to 

represent both small and large programs across the country. A description of the methodology 

used to conduct the Pulse Check and a list of ethnographic sources can be found in Appendix B. 

i Between 1992 and 1996, the Pulse Check was published quarterly; it is currently conducted 

twice each year. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 1 
Description of Sources 

Eleven ethnographers, epidemiologists, and other ethnographic sources were contacted 

for this issue of the Pulse Check. All Pulse Check sources speak about their impressions of 

changes and trends in the use and the markets for heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and emerging 

drugs. In this issue, ethnographic and epidemiologic sources reported from the following areas: 

Austin, Texas; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Miami, Florida; 

Newark, Delaware; New York, New York (2 reporters); San Antonio/E1 Paso, Texas; San Diego, 

California; and Trenton/Newark, New Jersey. Appendix B describes topics raised in 

conversations with Pulse Check sources and a complete !ist of ethnographic sources contacted for 

this issue. 

Law enforcement sources in six cities were contacted for this issue of the Pulse Check: 

Birmingham, Alabama; Boston, Massachusetts; Eugene, Oregon; Miami, Florida; New York, 

New York; and Seattle; Washington. For safety reasons, the names of law enforcement sources 

cannot be published. All sources reported from the Police Departments in their respective cities. 

Appendix B describes the topics raised in conversations with law enforcement sources. 

For this Pulse Check, 61 drug abuse treatment providers were contacted. These providers 

work in both small and large treatment programs, and are selected to represent all regions of the 

country. Unlike ethnographic and law enforcement sources, which are generally the same for 

each round of calls, treatment providers are drawn randomly from a national database of 

providers. Appendix B describes how treatment providers are selected and the types of 

information they provide. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 2 
Trends in Drug Use: Spring-Fall 1996 

Part h HEROIN 

Most sources contacted for this Pulse Check report that the market for heroin is stable or 

growing. The majority of heroin abusers are within the traditional, older cohort of long-term 

users, and some former addicts have begun using again since high purity, low price heroin is 

available. However, some areas report that there are more new, young heroin users. These new 

users include college students and suburban kids, but the majority are inner city youth. Sources 

also report that double breasted dealing -- selling both heroin and cocaine -- continues in many 

areas. While heroin use is rising in many areas, both by long-term users and new users, 

treatment providers have not noticed a marked increase in heroin abusers seeking treatment. 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources 

Heroin use continues to be common in almost all of the areas contacted, and eight of the 

eleven sources contacted report an increase in young heroin users. These users may be college or 

suburban kids (as in Denver, Trenton, and Newark), or low-income inner city youth (as in 

Chicago, New York, Bridgeport, and Newark). In Denver, sources report "cafeteria use" of 

drugs on local campuses where students try a number of drugs, such as LSD, MDMA, cocaine, 

marijuana, and Ketamine, as well as heroin. In New York, heroin use is reportedly popular with 

middle class teens and young adults who are part of a "club scene" and experiment with a variety 

of drugs. 

The bulk of the new, young users they see are "street kids," that is, they are from inner 

city areas, are sometimes runaways, and are often minority teens (as in Chicago and Denver). 

Typically, they feel that heroin use can be better "controlled" or that their behavior under its 

influence is less volatile than it would be if they were using crack. Some are former crack users, 

while others have never used crack. 

While there has been an increase in new, young users, heroin users are primarily adults, 

many of whom are former long-term users tempted back into use by the lower price, higher 

purity heroin now available. In Miami, where heroin use is relatively uncommon but increasing 

gradually, sources report that "more of the old-time shooters are at least trying to get a taste of 

heroin again" as availability increases. 

In sections of Manhattan, large, stable cohorts of users in their 30s and 40s continue to 

use heroin with little change in their long-established routines. Greater availability of better 

quality heroin may simply prompt them to "add a bag or two if they hear of good stuff 

somewhere" to their typical consumption, but it does not significantly escalate their use. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 3 
As described in the last several Pulse Checks, snorting heroin is most common in areas of 

the country where high purity heroin (generally white heroin from Colombia or Southeast Asia) 

is available. These areas include the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the Northwest. In 

contrast, in areas such as the Texas border and the West where lower purity Mexican brown and 

black tar heroin dominate the market, users are more likely to inject. 

Contrary to the myth that snorting alone does not lead to addiction, many users establish 

addiction this way. After becoming habituated, these users switch to injection, which is a more 

efficient route of administration. Chicago, Newark and New York sources report a shift toward 

injection among heroin snorters, even in areas where high purity heroin is available. This could 

show that more users are becoming habituated, or that more users start out injecting when they 

initiate heroin use. 

In these areas where there has been a shift toward injection, there appears to be less fear 

of HIV than there was a year or two ago. The Newark source states that most young users snort 

heroin, but more and more are trying it intravenously, and comments that "the idea of sharing 

needles and AIDS simply doesn't seem to bother them." This could indicate that new young 

users are not responding to public health messages about the risks of needle sharing. 

Alternatively, it could show that when heroin inhalers switch to injection, or switch back and 

forth between inhaling and injecting, they choose to ignore the extra risks associated with needle 

use. This trend has been reported in previous Pulse Checks in several areas, including 

Bridgeport, San Francisco, and Chicago. 

Miami sources report that some heroin users, primarily those that experiment with a 

variety of drugs, are "skin-popping" heroin. Skin-popping -- injecting a drug under the skin or 

into soft tissue rather than directly into the bloodstream -- has long been associated with the early 

stages of injection drug use. Miami sources report that skin-popping is common among white, 

upper middle class, young adults in the Miami beach club scene. 

In places as diverse as New York, Denver and the Texas border, sources report that 

dealers, primarily those who previously dealt only cocaine or crack, are now "double breasting," 

that is, selling both heroin and cocaine. As described in the last Pulse Check, heroin and cocaine 

markets have traditionally been distinct, with different dealers selling each drug. For example, 

the traditional heroin market consists of older users, selling to networks of friends and 

acquaintances. 

In contrast, the new "crews," who in some cases are double breasting, consist primarily of 

young, entrepreneurial non-users who have developed more efficient distribution networks. One 

New York ethnographer reports a noticeable increase in the number of organized crews selling 

both heroin and cocaine on the street. The two drugs are sold in similar packages using similar 

bag markings, indicating a common supplier. He describes the crews as more efficient and better 

organized than traditional heroin distributors have ever been. Further, most crew members are 

not users themselves. These crews may be organized and supported as part of the marketing 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 4 
strategies of mid-level distributors. Notably, these young crews usually distribute Colombian 

heroin. 

With crack use declining in many of the areas that report double-breasted dealing, new 

drug distribution networks, that may be made up of second generation dealers, have emerged. 

Sources in New York, Bridgeport, San Diego, and Newark note that heroin dealers are more 

frequently using beepers or pagers to conduct sales. This practice coincides with a decrease in 

open air or public street sales of heroin in favor of indoor sales or "home deliveries" reported in 

New York, Bridgeport and San Diego. While large sales of heroin and cocaine have always been 

delivered, small amounts of heroin have traditionally been sold on the street and/or through 

acquaintances. However, current beeper sales can involve fairly small quantities of heroin and 

cocaine distributed to a wide range of customers, not just wealthier customers who pay much 

more than the street price. For example, beeper sales are common in areas where heroin is part 

of the after hours club scene (e.g., Bridgeport and New York). This pattern of distribution -- a 

network of street sellers, using beepers to communicate and make delivery sales -- is reminiscent 

of the methods that crews of crack entrepreneurs developed in the 1980s. 

Heroin is also available to young users from street dealers in traditional "copping areas" 

-- public areas where drugs are sold frequently -- and from other young users in the community 

or in school. The Trenton/Newark source points out that unlike crack suppliers, who typically do 

not use, these suppliers are most often older students or recent graduates who are users. This 

distinguishes these young dealers from the more organized heroin crews described above. They 

are familiar faces among the students and can establish themselves unobtrusively as suppliers for 

a number of other students. 

The Trenton/Newark source points out that in his area, the two markets are still fairly 

separated: heroin users sell heroin and cocaine distributors sell cocaine powder and crack. If 

joint sales occur, it is more likely to be serendipitous than part of a marketing plan. This is more 

typical of the old style heroin markets. 

Ethnographers in Bridgeport, Chicago, and New York report that the drug trade has 

become more violent in their areas. For example, while many cities are reporting a decrease in 

violent crime, Bridgeport reported a higher homicide rate in mid-1996 than was reported for the 

entire previous year. In one two-week period in September, the city suffered ten drug-related 

homicides, reportedly related to the heroin trade. Similarly, in Chicago and New York, 

competition for the lucrative drug market is fierce, as many different groups as well as 

"independents" vie for customers and territory. 

White heroin from both Southeast Asia and Colombia dominates the Northeast markets, 

while Mexican brown and black tar heroin is more prevalent in the West and South. Chicago, 

whose market had traditionally been dominated by Mexican brown and black tar heroin, has 

witnessed more white heroin in some parts of the city. Sources report that white heroin has been 

moving westwards for about a year. Miami sources also report that there is more white heroin on 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 5 
the street. Since Miami is an important transshipment point, this heroin is probably the residual 

from larger shipments that have moved through the city on the way to other places. 

In New York, one source notes that there are more "independent" dealers who are not 

connected to an established heroin selling network, but are typically associated with high purity 

heroin. These dealers are reportedly double-breasting, and are believed to be using odd 

adulterants (e.g., Dramamine, acetaminophen, scopolamine) to cut the drugs they sell. The 

increase in independent dealers, and more new dealers in general has led to more variety in purity 

at the street level, even within the same area. For example, a $10 bag that is 2-5 percent pure in 

one part of the city may be 25 percent pure in another part. These independent dealers could be 

former cocaine dealers who have developed relationships with mid-level distributors, and are 

trying their hand in dealing the high purity heroin that has recently emerged. 

Prices remain fairly stable, though the purity of heroin sold on the street varies 

considerably. Street level purchases are generally in 1/8th-1/10th gram units that cost between 

$10 and $20. Units are sold as small bags, balloons, folded paper/foil or in a small capsule. 

Law Enforcement Sources 

Police sources in most of the areas surveyed report that heroin use is up or stable in their 

area. Only sources in Birmingham report that heroin is not widely available, and its use is 

relatively rare. Miami police describe use as stable, though its prevalence is still quite low 

compared to other drugs; they note, however, that several teenagers in the Orlando area recently 

overdosed on what appeared to be heroin. Most police sources report that the majority of users 

are still older, long-term addicts, though the appearance of the younger users described by 

ethnographic sources is also reported by police sources in New York, Miami and Boston. 

Many police sources report that heroin users in their areas prefer to inject. Two areas 

(New York and Boston) report that snorting also is popular; this is consistent with the appearance 

of new, young users in these areas. Police sources report that cocaine and methamphetamine are 

also popular among heroin users. 

In the Northwest, mid-level sales, particularly of larger quantities, are dominated by 

Mexican nationals. In the East and South, these mid-level dealers vary widely; they may be 

South American, Middle Eastern, Nigerian, or Russian. In Miami, Seattle, New York and 

Boston, police also note that more street level dealers are double-breasting (handling both heroin 

and cocaine). 

Prices for heroin remain stable in most places ($10-$25/bag), though the purity or quality 

can vary considerably within an area. In Miami, purity can run from as high as 95 percent for 

large quantities seized in transport to lows of 2-5 percent on the street. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 6 
Treatment Providers Report 

In the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the South, approximately 19 percent of people who 

enter treatment cite heroin as their primary drug of abuse. In the Midwest, South, and Southwest, 

this figure is about 10 percent. Though this proportion of people rose slightly in the West and 

Midwest, and fell slightly in the Northeast and the South, these changes did not represent a great 

increase or decrease for most of the 61 programs reporting in this Pulse Check. ---- 

Most heroin users entering treatment inject the drug, with the exception of the Northeast, 

where more clients inhale. One treatment provider in the Northeast points out that while the 

majority of heroin clients usually snort, many of these same clients also inject, especially when 

they are unable to find high purity heroin, or when they want to speedball with cocaine powder. 

Cocaine is commonly mentioned as a secondary drug of abuse (by 33-92 percent of clients in all 

regions) as is alcohol (by 60-92 percent of clients in all regions). 

Heroin users seeking treatment in all regions tend to be older (i.e., over 30), though 

sources in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region report higher percentages of clients under 

twenty years old. In all areas contacted, the majority of heroin treatment clients are white, except 

in the Midwest where just over half of the clients are African American. Over 75 percent of the 

clients have been in treatment before, and there continues to be a 70/30 split between men and 

women. 

Part II: COCAINE 

In this Pulse Check, sources report that the market for cocaine is generally stable, and in some 

areas it is declining. In particular, the demand for both cocaine and crack has declined, cocaine 

availability is down, while the availability of crack is stable. Cocaine users continue to be a 

diverse group, primarily people in their 30s and 40s who have been using for several years. 

However, there have been reports of rising cocaine use in specific communities, such as the 

Birmingham suburbs; the Hispanic community near the Texas border; and young people in the 

New York/New Jersey area. Treatment providers in most areas report that cocaine and crack are 

still the most commonly cited drugs of abuse among their clients. 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources 

Sources report broad shifts in the population of cocaine powder and crack users in 

particular areas. For example, young inner city users are starting to disdain crack as a "ghetto 

drug"; Miami sources describe crack use as "unfashionable" among youth, particularly with 

African Americans in inner city areas, and often those who continue to use crack try to hide it 

from their peers. In contrast, crack has recently made inroads into the Hispanic community 

along the Texas border; formerly, it had only been popular in the African American community 

in that area. In addition, the New York/New Jersey area has seen an increase in young crack 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 7 
users for the first time in over a year. 

However, the market for both cocaine powder and crack cocaine is generally stable; and 

cocaine is still a commonly used drug in most. Prices range from $50-$150/gram for cocaine 

powder and from $3-$40/rock or vial of crack. Purity is described as "good" to "fair" at the 

street level, though there is considerable variation in most areas. 

Cocaine users are a diverse group of all ages and ethnicities and both sexes. In most 

areas, crack is marketed to people in their 30s and 40s who have been using the drug for several 

years. Cocaine powder, though less common than crack, is marketed to a diverse group -- 

primarily adults, of all ethnicities and socioeconomic groups. It is mentioned as a "club drug" in 

New York, Miami, and San Diego, but is not as prominent in the club environment as 

methamphetamine, MDMA, marijuana, and some hallucinogens. 

Sources in Chicago report that some users are dissolving crack cocaine in lemon juice or 

vinegar and injecting it intravenously. This practice may have started as an innovation -- a new 

method to administer cocaine -- or as an adjustment to the decreased availability of cocaine 

powder, since it is cheaper to dissolve and inject crack than to purchase enough cocaine powder 

to create the same effect. While this practice reportedly produces a more intense rush than 

smoking the same amount of crack, the dilutants can produce serious abscesses and pain if the 

user misses the vein and injects into muscle tissue. 

Cocaine powder, when available, is often used by heroin addicts to "speedball" -- 

combine cocaine with heroin -- to enhance or extend the effect of heroin. This entails injecting 

or snorting heroin, then smoking crack immediately. Several ethnographers note that as cocaine 

powder became harder to purchase during the summer, some heroin users began to speedball 

with crack. This overlap in heroin/cocaine/crack users may be related to the increase in doublebreasted dealing described in the section on heroin. Similarly, heroin may be used by crack 

addicts to dampen the overly agitated effect produced by extended crack use. In both cases, the 

second drug is used to supplement rather than substitute the primary drug. 

New York and Bridgeport ethnographers describe large pieces of crack called "slabs" 

being sold at the street level in their areas. The slab is a piece of crack about the size and shape 

of a stick of chewing gum, sometimes scored to form pieces. The slab is sold in the same 

containers (e.g., vials, bags) as individual rocks or pieces but, due to its size, costs more. This 

unit is smaller than what was described last year in the Pulse Check as the "cookie," a larger 

piece or sheet of crack sometimes bought for the purposes of resale. 

In New York and San Diego, sources report that many crack users look for powder to 

make their own crack because processed crack is seen as "a bad buy" (i.e., poor quality or made 

up primarily of adulterants). This is largely due to the perception that dealers are cheating crack 

users by using very little powder in the cooking process. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 8 
Law Enforcement Sources 

Police sources in most areas report that cocaine use remains stable. Boston police report 

fewer crack users, but maintain that crack is still a serious problem in that area. Three police 

sources (Seattle, Miami, and New York) report double-breasting dealing in their areas. Prices of 

cocaine are low ($30-$70/gram), and purity varies considerably. 

Birmingham police are the only source that reports rising cocaine use in this Pulse Check. 

Crack has become more popular in the inner city; even in the suburbs, which have long been a 

powder market, police note an increase in the sale and use of crack. Consequently, prices are 

high; a piece of crack can run from $40 to $50. Police report that this increase in price may 

reflect the increase in the "yuppie" crack market of casual, middle-class users. Dealers have 

followed their new clientele into suburban areas, resulting in fewer open air cocaine markets in 

the inner city. 

Treatment Providers 

Treatment providers in all areas except the West and Southwest continue to report that 

cocaine is the most common illegal drug problem of clients seeking substance abuse treatment. 

While there have been slight decreases in the percentage of treatment admissions with cocaine as 

the primary drug problem, in general, admissions for cocaine treatment changed little in recent 

months. The majority of cocaine treatment clients smoke crack and use a variety of other 

substances. In all regions, alcohol is mentioned as a problem drug by a majority of clients (79-93 

percent), as is marijuana (53-80 percent). Heroin, amphetamines, and tranquilizers are also 

commonly cited as secondary drugs of abuse. 

The majority of cocaine treatment clients are white, except in the Midwest, where there is 

a fairly even proportion of whites and African-Americans. About two-thirds of the clients in all 

areas are male, and just over half have had prior treatment. 

As in the last Pulse Check, several treatment providers commented on the "aging" of the 

crack user population; that is, the hardcore crack user is more likely to be an older user, who also 

consumes marijuana, alcohol and other drugs, than a teen or young adult. Just 3 to 11 percent of 

cocaine clients in all areas are below 20 years old. While sources report that there appear to be 

more young cocaine users seeking treatment in the Northwest, unlike the younger heroin clients, 

• these young cocaine users are more likely to be new to treatment. 

Part Ilh MARIJUANA 

The market for marijuana appears to be thriving in the areas surveyed in this Pulse Check. 

Marijuana users are a diverse group, and the drug is highly popular in a variety of social settings. 

Most sources report that many types of marijuana, both foreign and domestic, can be purchased 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 9 
in their areas, and many users combine marijuana with other drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, or 

methamphetamine. Sellers are also a diverse group, reflecting the diversity of users. Treatment 

providers report that clients who cite marijuana as their primary illicit drug of abuse typically 

also have problems with alcohol. 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources 

Marijuana appears to be plentiful in all areas -- eight of the eleven areas contacted report 

that use is up, and the remaining three report that the market is stable. Marijuana attracts a wide 

variety of users, of all ages and ethnicities, and its popularity is growing among young (i.e., 

under 25) users. It is described as a "background drug" by several sources. 

Marijuana is usually combined with alcohol, hallucinogens, cocaine, or 

methamphetamine. In Miami, users roll marijuana and cocaine into a cigarette called "lace" and 

in Texas and San Diego, it is combined with crack and called a "primo." In Chicago, marijuana 

is blended with PCP and crack cocaine into cigarettes called "ozones" that are sold for $15. 

Sources in San Antonio report that along with marijuana, there has been an increase in white, 

middle class high school kids using club drugs, including Rohypnol. 

Sources of marijuana are both foreign and domestic. Mexico is the most commonly 

named foreign source, but in areas such as New York, marijuana and hashish from all over the 

world can be purchased. One New York ethnographer notes that marijuana often has a distinct 

brand name or place of origin that identifies its type and purported quality. Some marijuana 

dealers also sell hallucinogens, including LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine, and a variety 

of pills such as tranquilizers, sedatives, and hypnotics. 

Marijuana prices vary widely, and this indicates that there are many different types 

available. In most areas, Mexican marijuana or poor quality domestic marijuana sells for $10- 

$15 a bag, which yields 2-4 cigarettes. Exotic varieties or sinsemilia can sell for as high as $200- 

$1,000/ounce. Similarly, the potency (THC content) and purity (amount of unusable herbage 

mixed in) varies considerably by type. 

Large cigar-like marijuana cigarettes, often called "blunts," remain a staple in most areas. 

In addition, smoking paraphernalia such as pipes and large water cooled "bongs" continue to 

appear in many areas, indicating a renewed interest in the drug. While such paraphernalia is 

illegal in many states, it can be marketed as tobacco supplies or simply sold discretely in small 

bodegas or convenience stores. 

Many sources report that there are a wide variety of sellers, while others report that 

particular groups dominate the market. In Bridgeport, Jamaicans sell larger quantities of the 

drug, while in San Antonio;~Mexicans and African .AmeriCans dominate the trade:' In Nev;,'Y0rk~ 

dealers are~ frequently young people who selt .in public parks, near schools and in'or around"Ciubs 

...... ! ' ; ' " ' :' OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 10 
frequented by teens and young adults. One New York ethnographer notes an increase in 

marijuana sales around schools or school activities such as sports events, where students or 

former students who are currently dealing blend into the atmosphere easily. 

Law Enforcement Sources 

All police sources contacted report that marijuana use is stable or rising in their areas. As 

with the ethnographers' reports, police describe the user population as diverse, reflecting all ages 

and ethnicities, though marijuana is particularly popular with the young. Sellers match the 

demographics of their customers; thus, they too are a diverse group. Miami police report more 

hydroponically grown domestic marijuana in their area, though the bulk of the marijuana in the 

area is grown in Mexico or South America. 

Street level sales are primarily in one gram bags costing $5 to $10 for ordinary varieties 

of marijuana, but more exotic varieties (e.g., sinsemilia, Thai, Middle Eastern, Jamaican) can 

cost up to $500/ounce. The purity of the marijuana is generally related to the price it commands. 

A police source in New York, however, commented that by labeling it with a foreign name, 

dealers in the area are able to obtain higher prices for fairly low-quality, domestic marijuana. 

Treatment Providers 

The percentage of clients entering treatment with marijuana as their primary drug of 

abuse rose slightly in this round of calls, though most programs report that this represents no 

visible change in the overall client mix of reported drug problems. About one-quarter to onethird of marijuana treatment clients are under 20 years old, and they are predominantly white. 

The majority also has problems with alcohol abuse, but has no prior treatment experience. 

Part IV: EMERGING DRUGS 

Sources contacted for this Pulse Check report that methamphetamine is increasingly popular in 

many areas. In addition, they cite that cafeteria use, that is, simultaneous use of a variety of 

sedatives, tranquilizers, and traditional and non-traditional drugs of abuse, is prevalent in their 

areas, particularly among young people. 

Methamphetamine is a continuing presence in the West, the Southwest border, and parts 

of the Midwest, while little or no methamphetamine is reported in the Northeast. It has a large 

following among young white blue collar workers and laborers as well as among college 

students. In areas of the West, it is also becoming more popular among the Hispanic population. 

In Denver, where availability is high, methamphetamine is popular with a wide variety of users, 

particularly young runaways in Denver and Boulder. The Denver source also notes that there is 

less "bathtub crank" or poor quality methamphetamine made by individual entrepreneurs in the : 

local market, while there is more high quality crystalline methamphetamine. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY | 1 
The special report on methamphetamine in this issue of the Pulse Check describes the 

problems associated with methamphetamine use in greater detail. 

Club drugs. "Cafeteria use" -- the use of a number of hallucinogenic and 

sedative/hypnotic "club drugs" -- is reported by sources all over the country (i.e., Bridgeport, San 

Diego, Miami, New York, Austin, and Newark) The club drug mix varies slightly from area to 

area, but generally includes such drugs as marijuana, Ketamine, LSD, MDMA, Nexus and GHB. 

In some areas it includes steroids or herbal mixtures such as "power drinks" found in health food 

stores. In the West and South it typically also includes methamphetamine and prescription drugs 

(e.g., Clonapin, Ritalin, Lexotan, Rohypnol, Prozac) that come across the Mexican border 

illegally. Three sources (San Antonio, Miami and Austin) report that Rohypnol is an emerging 

drug in their areas. Rohypnol has only been reported in areas that are close to the Southwest 

border. 

As the name implies, club drugs are popular with young adults and teenagers who are part 

of a club scene, and want to take the drugs to gain increased stamina for late night dancing or 

partying. Many of these young users experiment with a variety of club drugs in different 

combinations. Club drugs are increasingly mentioned as problematic for treatment programs. 

Many treatment providers report that teens and young adults enter treatment with a number of 

these drugs and alcohol, rather than a single drug, as their primary problem. 

Previous Pulse Checks have reported that middle class high school kids are searching for 

naturally occurring hallucinogens that are supposed to produce a dream-like state, and this 

finding is supported by the increased use of some specific club drugs. In Delaware, sources 

report a wide range of hallucinogens as part of the array of drugs used by young adults, with 

mushrooms (psilocybin) as particularly popular. In addition, sources in Bridgeport cite 

mescaline as an emerging drug in that area. 

CONCLUSIONS 

This issue of the Pulse Check finds that the markets for heroin and marijuana are 

growing, while the market for cocaine is stable. These findings are generally corroborated by all 

sources in different regions of the country. 

According to Pulse Check sources, youth drug use is rising. Not only are more young 

people using heroin and marijuana, cafeteria use of a variety of sedatives and hypnotics is 

increasingly popular. While the majority of heroin and crack users are a stable, older cohort of 

long-term users, the continued increase in youth drug use paints a troublesome picture. These 

findings are consistent with the results of population-based survey research, such as NIDA's 

National Household Survey of Drug Abuse, and University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future 

Study. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 12 
This Pulse Check also reveals an increase in poly-drug use, and innovative methods of 

drug use. For example, combining heroin and cocaine powder or crack (speedballing) was 

reported in several areas, as was cafeteria use. Innovations, such as cooking crack from cocaine 

powder, or dissolving crack to inject it intravenously, also indicate that users are searching for 

more creative ways to use drugs. 

Treatment providers reported that the majority of their clients enter treatment with 

cocaine as the primary drug of abuse, while in the West and Southwest, methamphetamine is the 

most widely cited primary drug of abuse. In the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the South, 

approximately 19 percent of people who enter treatment cite heroin as their primary drug of 

abuse. In the Midwest, South, and Southwest, this figure is about 10 percent. This indicates that 

while heroin use is rising, there has not yet been a wide scale entry of heroin abusers into 

treatment facilities. However, treatment providers do report an increase in the number of young 

clients who enter treatment with a number of club drugs and alcohol as their problem drug 

problem. 

Sources also reported that methods used to deal heroin and cocaine are becoming more 

sophisticated. First, there has been an increase in double-breasted dealing. Second, there are 

more organized, entrepreneurial crews of young dealers who use more efficient distribution 

methods. Like the well-organized crack dealers of the 1980s, these crews often use beepers to 

communicate with their clients and they are willing to deliver relatively small purchase amounts 

to suburban areas. These new crews may in fact be "second generation" crews, that is, they are 

somehow acquainted with members of the crack crews of the 1980s, and have picked up their 

methods to deal heroin and cocaine in the 1990s. Since the cocaine market has stabilized, dealers 

may be looking for innovative ways to reach potential heroin users. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 13 
Tables 

Fall 1996 
Table 1 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Heroin 

City 

Bridgeport, CN San Antonio/ San Diego, CA New York, NY 

El Paso, TX 

Use up up stable stable 

Who's Using/ I traditional older Hispanics, gang males, 25-50 years traditional older 

ema e users 

Method of Use snorting 

injecting 

snorting 

injecting 

injecting 

snorting 

snorting 

injecting 

Drugs in alcohol; cocaine; cocaine cocaine 

Combination crack 

Who's Selling Young dealers, Hispanic mal'es Crews selling both 

some selling 

through beepers. 

$10/bag; 

high purity 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Both young dealers 

and older, 

established dealers 

$10/bag, 

$70-1/16 oz.; 

variable purity 

Other/Comments 

$140 - $200/gram; 

40% - 60% purity 

Methamphetamine 

is the number one 

problem. 

Some sales are 

through beepers, 

and deliveries are 

heroin and cocaine, 

beeper sales 

$10/bag 

Young users seem 

to think heroin is 

controllable 

made to clubs, 

houses, and 

suburban areas. 

Many young users 

and sellers. 

compared to crack, 

and it is part of a 

battery of drugs 

used to "party." 

Better organized 

street sales. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 15 
Table 1 (cont'd.) 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Heroin 

City 

Denver, CO Miami, FL Chicago, IL Trenton/Newark, NJ 

I 

Use up up up up 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

young, some 

homeless, some 

college users; 

more use among 

people under 25 

older users 

returning to use, 

middle class 

club goers 

traditional 

older users plus 

young users (teens 

and 20s); more 

young users 

25-40 years old, 

some increase in 

young users; more 

non-urban users 

Method of Use injecting skin popping snorting snorting 

injecting injecting inj ecting 

I Drugs in cocaine alcohol 

Combination crack 

I Who's Selling Mexican 

nationals 

and 

Hondurans at 

street level 

$20/balloon; 

$30-$35 for 1/4 

gram; 

3% -15% purity 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

$10/bag 

$20/bag; 

5% - 20% purity 

More old-time 

shooters are 

getting a taste 

for heroin again. 

It is also being 

skin-popped in 

after hours clubs 

by white upper 

middle-class 

adult users. 

Other/Comments 

Hispanic dealers 

for 

brown heroin; 

Nigerians for 

white 

heroin. 

high purity 

Users are 

reporting 

difficulty getting 

into treatment and 

are fearful of 

medical cuts 

further 

limiting their 

options. 

As compared to 

the past, more 

street dealers have 

both heroin and 

cocaine, though 

heroin is still 

easier to get. 

Methamphetamine 

available through 

white street level 

dealers. 

Older teens/young 

adults 

$15/bag; good purity 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 16 
Table 1 (cont'd.) 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Heroin 

New York 

City 

Austin, TX Newark, DE 

I 

Use :up up (slightly) up 

I 

more young users 

injecting 

snorting 

smoking 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

older users (30+), 

primarily Hispanic; 

injection 

traditional older 

users and many teen 

users; 

more young users 

snorting 

injecting 

Drugs in crack cocaine cocaine 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

more independent 

sellers evident 

$10/bag 

$100/bundle; 

declining purity 

Black Tar: 

$2,300 - 

$6,000/oz. 

Increasing problems 

with illicit 

prescription drugs 

from Mexico. 

Also, increase in 

ER mentions for 

GHB, including one 

overdose death. 

There are many 

more independent 

sellers who are 

cutting heroin with 

odd adulterants 

i.e., Dramamine, 

aspirin. 

Other/Comments 

Purity is good 

Heroin use was 

down a little over 

the summer, but is 

gradually rising 

aga!n, particularly 

among young (teen) 

users. It is easily 

accessible to teens. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 17 
Table 2 

Law Enforcement Report on Heroin 

Use 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

City 

Birmingham, AL 

P.D. 

low 

very few users in area 

Seattle, WA 

P.D. 

up 

injection 

Mexican traffickers 

handling all drugs 

$10 - $15/bag (Black 

Tar); 

10% - 70% purity 

This area is being 

"inundated by meth." 

from Mexico. 

New York, NY 

P.D. 

up 

old users and new young 

users; 

more young users 

snorting 

injecting 

cocaine 

$10/bag; 

variable purity 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 18 
Table 2 (cont'd.) 

Law Enforcement Report on Heroin 

City 

Miami, FL Eugene, OR Boston, MA 

P.D. P.D. P.D. 

Use stable stable up 

Who's Using/ older users, white males 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

primarily older users, but 

young users increasing; 

more younger users 

injecting 

cocaine 

More sales of heroin 

by crack dealers 

$125K/kilo for 

Colombian; 

high purity in large 

quantities 

injecting 

methamphetamines 

Mexican Nationals, 

local street dealers 

$15/bag 

$60 - 1/2 gram; 

variable purity 

wide variety of users, 

young users 

snorting 

injecting 

cocaine 

Middle Eastern and 

South American source 

sellers 

$10/bag; 

high purity 

Sellers of both heroin 

and cocaine evident on 

the street. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 19 
Table 3 

Treatment Providers Report on Heroin Use Patterns 

% clients with drug listed 

as primary drug of abuse 

Change over last year 

increase 

no change 

decrease 

I: Northeast 

N = 13 

19 

42% 

50% 

8% 

H: Mid-Atlantic 

& South 

N= 15 

19 

Region 

III: Mid-West 

N = 13 

10 

40% 

53% 

7% 

23% 

69% 

8% 

IV: West/ 

Southwest 

N=12 

10 

17% 

83% 

0% 

% clients injecting 44 78 57 87 

% clients inhaling/smoking 56 22 43 13 

Other Drugs Abused 

(% clients who mention) 

92% 

15% 

92% 

15% 

8% 

8% 

38% 

38% 

77% 

15% 

0% 

23% 

53% 

33% 

60% 

40% 

7% 

40% 

cocaine 

marijuana 

alcohol 

tranquilizers 

amphetamines 

other 

33% 

42% 

67% 

8% 

42% 

42% 

Region I: 

Region II: 

Region III: 

Region IV: 

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, 

Vermont, Pennsylvania 

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North and South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, 

Washington, D.C. 

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, 

North and South Dakota 

Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, Califomia, Idaho, New Mexico, 

Washington, Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 20 
Table 3 (eont'd.) 

Treatment Providers Report on Heroin Use Patterns 

Average by Age 

under 20 

21-30 

31+ 

Average by 

Race/Ethnicity 

African-American 

White 

Hispanic & Other 

Average by Sex 

Male 

Female 

Prior Treatment 

Yes 

No 

h Northeast 

N=13 

7% 

32% 

61% 

38% 

41% 

21% 

69% 

31% 

Region 

II: Mid-Atlantic 

& South 

N=15 

7% 

22% 

71% 

38% 

57% 

5% 

Mid-West 

N=13 

5% 

24% 

71% 

52% 

41% 

7% 

75% 

25% 

69% 

31% 

73% 

27% 

69% 

31% 

III: 

76% 

24% 

IV: West/ 

Southwest 

N= 13 

2% 

25% 

73% 

12% 

60% 

28% 

73% 

27% 

81% 

19% 

Region I: 

Region II: 

Region III: 

Region IV: 

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania 

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North and South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, 

Washington, D.C. 

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, 

Nebraska, North and South Dakota 

Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, 

Washington, Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 21 
Table 4 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Cocaine/Crack 

Use 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

Drugs In 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

Bridgeport, CN 

stable 

wide range 

ofusers 

smoking 

snorting 

heroin 

HCI sold 

with beepers, crack 

sold on street 

$5, $10 bag; 

good purity 

There has been a 

noticeable trend 

among crack users 

to add heroin 

(snorted) to their 

use. Crack is also 

now sold as 

"slabs" 

or strips of crack in 

a plastic bag. 

San Antonio/ 

El Paso, TX 

stable 

primarily African 

Americans, some 

Hispanics; 

more Hispanic 

users 

smoking 

injecting 

marij uana 

heroin 

More dealers of 

both heroin and 

cocaine. 

$20, $30/bag (HC1) 

$10, $20, $30/unit 

(crack) 

There are two 

major distributors: 

one uses young 

dealers to 

distribute, the other 

prefers older, 

experienced 

dealers. 

City 

San Diego, CA 

stable 

African Americans 

(crack) 18-35 yrs. 

old, all groups 

(HE1) 

smoking 

snorting 

PCP 

heroin 

African Americans 

& Hispanics; 

beeper sales 

$80-$100/gram 

$10- 1/10 gr. 

(crack); 

20% - 50% purity 

A lot of users know 

how to make their 

own crack, so they 

buy powder. Vials 

have given way to 

tiny ziplock bags, 

so the product is 

more visible. 

New York, NY 

stable 

smoking 

heroin 

Young crews selling 

heroin also 

$10, $20, $50/bag; 

$5/vial; 

purity fair 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 22 
Table 4 (cont'd.) 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Cocaine/Crack 

Denver, CO Miami, FL 

City 

Chicago, IL l'renton/Newark, NJ 

Use stable stable stable stable 

Who's Using/ wide range of users 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

wide range of ages; 

African Americans 

(crack) 

injecting 

smoking 

heroin 

More sellers of 

heroin & cocaine 

together 

$5 - $10/vial 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Hispanics; 

decline in young 

adult use 

smoking 

marijuana 

alcohol 

Sellers match the 

communities they 

work 

$10, $20/bag 

$50-$75/gram 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

injecting 

smoking 

heroin 

marijuana 

Gangs 

$50-$150/gram 

$3-$20/rock; 

purity "good" 

Other/Comments 

20-30 yrs. old, all 

ethnicities; 

some more young 

users 

alcohol 

Non-users primarily 

selling only 

cocaine. 

$10 for 1/10 gram, 

$60-70/mg 

variable purity 

Methamphetamine 

is at highest level 

of availability in 

years. Most users 

are white, young, 

and equally likely 

to be male or 

female. 

Hard to find HCI 

on the street, 

but crack 

is available. An 

"ozone" is a 

marijuana cigarette 

with PCP and 

crack in it that sells 

for $15. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 23 
Table 4 (cont'd.) 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Cocaine/Crack 

Use 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

City 

New York, NY Austin, TX Newark, DE 

stable athigh stable stable 

level • 

wide range of users, more young users 

including women & 

teens; 

more teens 

Young sellers who 

match community. 

$10-$20/vial 

$40-$50/gram; 

purity is "good" 

"Slabs" of crack 

available, increase in 

number of brand 

names or bag 

markings. 

African American & 

Hispanic, male & 

female; 

more Hispanics 

smoking 

injecting 

inhaling 

$600-$1,200/oz. 

$20-$100/gram 

$10-$40/rock 

variable purity 

Cocaine continues 

as # 1 drug among 

treatment 

admissions, though 

the proportion has 

dropped slightly. 

Crack users are 

older 

than HCI injectors 

or snorters. 

heroin 

marijuana 

Sellers often from larger 

cities & come into area with 

supply. 

Purity is "fair" 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 24 
Table 5 

Law Enforcement Report on Cocaine/Crack 

City 

Birmingham, AL Seattle, WA New York, NY 

P.D. P.D. P.D. 

Use up stable 

Who's Using/ variety of users 

Change in Users 

Method 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

inner city crack users; 

suburban HC1 users; 

some casual middleclass crack users 

smoking 

marijuana 

alcohol 

Fewer open markets; 

some move to 

suburban areas. 

$40 - $50/rock 

Increase in crack 

prices. "Yuppie" 

crack users in suburbs 

also reported. 

African American and 

Hispanic users 

inhaling 

smoking 

Crack dealers also 

selling heroin. 

$30 - $50/gram 

$10 - $20/rock; 

15% - 92% purity (HC1) 

30% - 75% purity (crack) 

Some Mexican dealers 

sell heroin cocaine, 

marijuana and 

methamphetamine. 

smoking 

injecting 

heroin 

More sales of both 

heroin and crack by 

same dealer. 

$3 - $10/vial 

$50 - $70/gram; 

variable purity 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 25 
Table 5 (cont'd.) 

Law Enforcement Report on Cocaine/Crack 

City 

Miami, FL Eugene, OR Boston, MA 

P.D. P.D. P.D. 

Use stable stable stable 

Who's Using/ No change in users 

Change in Users 

Method of Use 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

snorting 

smoking 

Crack dealers also 

selling heroin. 

$10 for 1/10 gram 

$50/gram; 

high purity 

smoking 

injecting 

marij uana 

Mexican Nationals. 

$15, $20 for 1/4 gram; 

variable purity 

Methamphetamine is up 

and often substitutes for 

the more expensive, less 

available cocaine. 

somewhat fewer crack 

users 

Dominican and 

Colombians. 

$800/oz. 

Crack is somewhat less 

popular than before. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 26 
Table 6 

Treatment Providers Report on Cocaine/Crack Use Patterns 

% clients with drug listed 

as primary drug of abuse 

Change over last year 

increase 

no change 

decrease 

I: Northeast 

N = 15 

45 

Region 

II: Mid-Atlantic 

& South 

N=17 

III: Mid-West 

N=15 

32 34 

8% 

77% 

15% 

29% 

71% 

0% 

7% 

73% 

19% 

IV: West/ 

Southwest 

N=14 

21 

29% 

71% 

0% 

% clients injecting 15 9 23 27 

% clients 

inhaling/smoking 85 91 77 73 

47% 

53% 

93% 

7% 

0% 

0% 

0% 

59% 

82% 

12% 

12% 

6% 

Other Drugs Abused 

(% clients who mention) 

20% 

80% 

80% 

7% 

33% 

7% 

heroin 

marijuana 

alcohol 

tranquilizers 

amphetamines 

other 

14% 

57% 

79% 

7% 

21% 

14% 

Region I: 

Region II: 

Region III: 

Region IV: 

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania 

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North and South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West 

Virginia, Washington, D.C. 

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, 

Nebraska, North and South Dakota 

Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, 

Washington, Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 27 
Table 6 (cont'd.) 

Treatment Providers Report on Cocaine/Crack Use Patterns 

Average by Age 

under 20 

21-30 

31+ 

Average by 

Race/Ethnicity 

African-American 

White 

Hispanic & Other 

Average by Sex 

Male 

Female 

Prior Treatment 

Yes 

No 

I: Northeast 

N = 15 

11% 

33% 

56% 

39% 

48% 

13% 

64% 

36% 

65% 

35% 

Region 

II: Mid-Atlantic IIh Mid-West 

& South 

N = 17 

10% 

44% 

46% 

42% 

53% 

5% 

N = 15 

7% 

36% 

57% 

47% 

46% 

7% 

69% 

31% 

56% 

44% 

62% 

38% 

51% 

49% 

IV: West/ 

Southwest 

N = 14 

3% 

46% 

51% 

17% 

65% 

18% 

68% 

32% 

53% 

47% 

Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania 

Region II: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North and South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West 

Virginia, Washington, D.C. 

Region III: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, 

Nebraska, North and South Dakota 

Region IV: Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, 

Washington, Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 28 
Table 7 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Marijuana 

City 

Bridgeport, CN San Antonio/ San Diego, CA New York, NY 

El Paso, TX 

Use stable stable up up 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

all ages, all 

ethnicities; 

more teens 

Wide variety of 

sellers; Jamaicans 

sell larger amounts. 

$10/bag 

wide variety of 

users; 

cocaine 

Mexican Nationals 

$10, $15, $25 per 

bag 

There is some 

evidence in the last 

6 months of more 

white high school 

kids using 

Rohypnol. Also 

sees combinations 

with crack in 

"primos." 

all ethnicities; 18-35 

yrs. old; 

more young users 

cocaine 

African Americans 

and Hispanics 

$50-100/oz. 

(regular); 

$200-$400/oz. 

(sinsemilia) ; 

8% - 16% THC for 

sinsemilia 

wide variety of 

users; 

more young users 

LSD 

heroin 

alcohol 

Sellers generally 

see only marijuana 

and hallucinogens, 

and many have 

brand identities 

variable purity 

Marijuana is sold 

by persons who 

may also sell pills 

or hallucinogens. 

They have 

developed brand 

names related to the 

origin of the 

marijuana. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 29 
Table 7 (cont'd.) 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Marijuana 

City 

Denver, CO Miami, FL Chicago, IL Trenton/Newark, NJ 

I 

Use stable up up 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

wide variety of 

users 

alcohol 

methamphetamine 

$425/oz. 

all classes, all 

ethnicities 

cocaine 

$40-50 - 1/8 oz. 

$250-260/oz.; 

8% - 14% THC 

Marijuana mixed 

with cocaine is 

rolled into a 

cigarette and called 

"lace." 

diverse group of 

users 

$60-200/oz.; 

variable purity 

wide variety of 

users, primarily 

urban; 

more young users 

alcohol 

$19Poag 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 30 
Table 7 (cont'd.) 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Marijuana 

Use 

Who's Using/ 

Change in Users 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/Purity 

Other/Comments 

City 

New York, NY Austin, TX Newark, DE 

up up up 

young users under 

25; 

more teens 

Young sellers, 

around schools, 

public parks 

$5, $10/bag 

$100-800/oz. 

PCP-laced 

marijuana sells for 

$15/bag. Many 

teens smoking 

"woolies" (fat 

marijuana cigarettes 

mixed with PCP or 

crack) 

young, male, all 

ethnicities; 

more young users 

$40-100/oz. 

young users under 

25 

cocaine 

Wide variety of 

sellers 

Purity is very poor 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 31 
Table 8 

Law Enforcement Report on Marijuana 

City 

Birmingham, AL Seattle, WA New York 

P.D. P.D. P.D. 

Use stable up stable 

Who's Using 

Change in Users 

Drugs in 

Combination 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/ 

Purity 

Other/Comments 

white, often rural or 

suburban users 

alcohol 

Sellers operate in 

suburban/rural areas 

where customers are. 

$100/oz. 

wide range of users 

alcohol 

cocaine 

Mexican traffickers. 

$200 - $300/oz.; 

variable purity 

"everyone" 

alcohol 

cocaine 

Sellers match community 

they sell to. 

$10/bag 

$100 - $500/oz.; 

variable purity 

Wide variety in quality 

and price. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 32 
Table 8 (cont'd.) 

Law Enforcement Report on Marijuana 

City 

Miami, FL Eugene, OR Boston, MA 

P.D. P.D. P.D. 

Use stable stable stable 

Who's Using wide range of users; wide variety of users; none 

Change in Users none none 

Drugs in methamphetamine crack 

Combination MDMA 

Who's Selling 

Purchase 

Amount/ 

Purity 

Other/Comments 

More hydroponic 

growing sites. 

$5, $10/bag 

$2,500/lb for 

"exotics;" 

highly variable purity 

Sellers look like their 

customers. 

$15/gram for local 

$10/gram for Mexican; 

purity varies by type 

Wide variety of 

sellers. 

$1 O/gram; 

variable purity 

Smaller sales units 

continue to be available 

almost everywhere. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 33 
Table 9 

Treatment Providers Report on Marijuana Use Patterns 

% clients with drug listed 

as primary drug of abuse 

Change over last year 

increase 

no change 

decrease 

I: Northeast 

N = 13 

17 

27% 

46% 

27% 

Region 

II: Mid-Atlantic 

& South 

N=15 

III: Mid-West 

N = 13 

16 20 

36% 

64% 

0% 

0% 

92% 

8% 

IV: West/ 

Southwest 

N = 12 

28 

15% 

77% 

8% 

% clients injecting NA NA NA NA 

% clients NA NA NA NA 

inhaling/smoking 

Other Drugs Abused 

(% clients who mention) 

36% 

91% 

0% 

0% 

0% 

0% 

8% 

92% 

0% 

15% 

0% 

0% 

36% 

93% 

7% 

21% 

0% 

14% 

cocaine 

alcohol 

tranquilizers 

hallucinogens 

amphetamines 

other 

8% 

85% 

0% 

15% 

38% 

23% 

Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania 

Region II: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North and South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West 

Virginia, Washington, D.C. 

Region III: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, 

Nebraska, North and South Dakota 

Region IV: Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, 

Washington, Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 34 
Table 9 (cont'd.) 

Treatment Providers Report on Marijuana Use Patterns 

Average by Age 

under 20 

21-30 

31+ 

Average by 

Race/Ethnicity 

African-American 

White 

Hispanic & Other 

Average by Sex 

Male 

Female 

Prior Treatment 

Yes 

No 

Region 

h Northeast 

N = 13 

26% 

42% 

32% 

27% 

62% 

11% 

69% 

31% 

20% 

80% 

Ih Mid-Atlantic 

& South 

N= 15 

21% 

40% 

39% 

25% 

68% 

7% 

71% 

29% 

31% 

69% 

IIh Mid-West 

N= 13 

22% 

37% 

41% 

31% 

65% 

4% 

74% 

26% 

35% 

65% 

IV: West/ 

Southwest 

N= 12 

29% 

38% 

33% 

14% 

56% 

30% 

68% 

32% 

34% 

66% 

Region I: 

Region II: 

Region III: 

Region IV: 

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New 

Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania 

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North and South Carolina, 

Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West 

Virginia, Washington, D.C. 

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, 

Nebraska, North and South Dakota 

Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, 

Washington, Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG POLICY 35 
Table 10 

Ethnographers and Epidemiologists Report on Emerging Drugs 

City Emerging Drugs 

Bridgeport, CN mescaline, LSD 

SanAntouio/E! Paso, Rohypnol 

TX 

San Diego, CA MDMA, Nexus, Ketamine 

New York, NY MDMA, Ketamine, Rohypnol, GHB 

Denver, CO Ritalin 

Miami, FL MDMA, Ketamine, Rohypnol 

Chicago, IL Ritalin 

Trenton/Newark, NJ 

Austin, TX ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, 

illegally used prescription drugs, 

GHB, Rohypnol 

Newark, DE Ritalin, Prozac, psilocybin, LSD, 

Ketamine 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 36 
Table 11 

Law Enforcement Report on Emerging Drugs 

City Emerging Drugs 

Birmingham, AL MDMA 

Seattle, WA methamphetamines, Rohypnol 

New York, NY 

Miami, FL Rohypnol 

Eugene, OR 

Boston, MA 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 37 

Appendix A 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY 

PULSE CHECK: Special Report 

Methamphetamine Trends in 

Five Western States and Hawaii 

Executive Office of the President 

Office of National Drug Control Policy 

Barry R. McCaffrey, Director 

Office of Programs, Budget, Research, and Evaluation 

For Distribution Summer 1997 

Introduction 

Methamphetamine, a powerful central nervous system stimulant, has been part of the drug 

culture for many years. It was developed early in this century from its parent drug amphetamine and 

was originally used in nasal decongestants, bronchial inhalers, and in the treatment of narcolepsy and 

obesity. Legally produced by pharmaceutical houses, amphetamine and methamphetamine were widely 

available in the 1950s and '60s through prescriptions as well as from a booming black market. The 

Food and Drug Administration estimated in 1962 that over 8 billion tablets were legally produced each 

year with as much as half of that production going to unauthorized users. 1 In the 1970s 

methamphetamine became a Schedule II drug; that is, a drug with little medical use and a high potential 

for abuse. 

Almost from their first appearance, amphetamine and methamphetamine were abused. Valued 

A 4 • 

terms "crystal," "speed" and "speed freak" became part of the drug vernacular. 

Increased Federal regulation of these drugs produced important changes in their availability, 

and the 1970s saw a marked decline in their use. Often, what was sold on the street as 

methamphetamine was actually another stimulant like caffeine or ephedrine. Illegal dealers began to 

rely on domestic illegal laboratories to manufacture supplies for distribution. Highly dangerous, both 

because of the highly volatile chemicals used in the manufacturing process and the high potential for 

explosions and fire, methamphetamine production and distribution in the 1970s came to be dominated 

by outlaw motorcycle gangs operating out of mobile clandestine operations in the California and the 

Pacific Northwest. Methamphetamine use declined nationwide throughout the 1970s, concentrated in a 

few cities or regions. However, beginning in the late 1980s it appeared to be spreading from these 

isolated areas to other new markets and gaining popularity among a larger number of users. 

Methamphetamine is a unique drug. In its conventional form, it can be snorted, injected or 

even eaten. It can also be processed into a potent smokeable form known as "ice," which, starting in 

Hawaii, gained popularity in recent years in other areas. Methamphetamine is both domestically 

produced and imported into the U.S. in already processed form. Once dominated by local producers in 

remote areas of California and the Northwest, the market now includes both locals and, increasingly, 

Mexican sources providing finished product to stateside distributors. For the local producers the 

processing required to make methamphetamine from precursor substances is not only easier than it 

once was, but also more accessible. There are literally thousands of recipes and discussions concerning 

how to make batches of methamphetamine on the Internet. These entries range from fairly simplistic 

recipes to highly technical and detailed instructions written by experts. 

\ 

t For a complete discussion of the history of amphetamine use see Grinspoon and Hedblom The 

Speed Culture: Amphetamine Use and Abuse in America, Cambridge MA., Harvard University Press, 

1975. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY I 
Sources for this Report 

Since its first publication in 1992, the Pulse Check has reported the rise in methamphetamine 

use in the West and Southwest and the increasing mention of its use in other parts of the country. This 

special edition of the ONDCP Pulse Check looks at methamphetamine use in six States--New Mexico, 

Arizona, California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii--those States which appear to be the hardest hit 

by the reappearance of methamphetamine. 

For this report, a random sample of treatment providers from the National Drug Abuse 

Treatment Unit Survey was taken, and a brief telephone interview with them conducted during the third 

and fourth weeks of December 1996. A total of 115 treatment providers were interviewed. The 

geographic distribution of those providers is illustrated in Figure 1. In addition; drug ethnographers, 

researchers and law enforcement officials in each State were interviewed. These sources are listed in 

the Appendix. The interview covers topics such as: who is using the drug; how is it used; what other 

drugs dominate the area; the price of methamphetamine; how is the drug manufactured and sold. 

Each State has a unique experience with the re-emergence of methamphetamine. In the 

sections which follow, we summarize the results of the study by State. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY II 
Methamphetamine in Selected States 

CALIFORNIA 

For many years methamphetamine abuse was highly localized in specific areas of California, 

notably San Francisco and San Diego County. In 1990 reports to the Community Epidemiology Work 

Group, methamphetamine was the most commonly abused drug in the population of persons entering 

treatment in San Diego. According to the San Diego researcher, in 1996, 45 percent of treatment 

admissions were due to methamphetamine. In addition, in 1995 arrestees in San Diego represented 

proportionately more methamphetamine users than at any other Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) site. In 

San Francisco over the past five years, methamphetamine has been consistently the third most 

commonly abused drug of clients admitted to treatment (behind heroin and cocaine) in the five counties 

that make up San Francisco; much of the abuse in the past was concentrated among the male gay 

community. Increases in other areas and among a wider spectrum of users has continued to the 

present. For example, Los Angeles, not associated with methamphetamine abuse in the past, currently 

reports that methamphetamine ranks second after cocaine as the primary drug of abuse at admission to 

treatment and is second nationwide in the number of emergency room mentions related to 

methamphetamine. 

Methamphetamine use in California is still concentrated in some areas, though surveys of 

treatment providers show a far wider dispersion of the drug's reach than ever before. The mode of 

ingestion (snorting and smoking versus injection) and the level of involvement of non-local 

manufacturers and distributors also differs significantly from the northern to the southern parts of the 

State. 

The prevalence of methamphetamine reported by all California sources reached for this report 

is consistent with recent DAWN data which places San Diego, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in the 

top five cities nationwide in emergency room mentions for methamphetamine in 1995. These three 

cities also lead the nation in the number of medical examiner reports (deaths) related to 

methamphetamine. There are interesting differences in route of administration reflected in DAWN data 

between these cities. 2 In San Francisco almost two-thirds of the methamphetamine mentions involve 

injection, whereas in the other two cities only 10-12 percent of mentions involve injection. 

Ethnographic and epidemiologic sources in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco 

substantiate the DAWN reports. In San Francisco, ethnographic sources report that methamphetamine, 

while once most popular in the gay community, is now increasingly used by blue collar workers, young 

professionals, and college students. Putting methamphetamine into coffee in what is termed "biker's 

coffee" is reported as popular among young professionals interested in the drug's energizing and 

appetite suppressant effects, but not interested in snorting or injecting the drug. There are reports that 

in some segments of the gay community use of methamphetamine is related to "marathon sex," often 

unprotected, where the drug allows the user to stay awake for long stretches of time. As the DAWN 

data indicate, in this area it is often injected, doubling the risk of transmission of blood borne viruses 

and sexually transmitted diseases. 

2 These data should be interpreted with caution as they have problems due to large numbers of 

unspecified answers. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY III 
With the wider variety of users now evident, there is also a wider variety of sellers and 

distributors. While supplies had previously been part of a "close distribution network" when 

motorcycle clubs dominated production, there are now different kinds of distributors targeting each of 

the user populations (college students, young professionals, blue collar workers, and the gay and club 

communities). 

In Southern California, methamphetamine continues to be the number one or two drug 

problem. DUF data indicate that after a slight drop in the number of arrestees testing positive for 

methamphetamine in San Diego in 1995, use rose again in 1996, particularly among women and 

juveniles. In August 1996, 41 percent of women arrested tested positive for methamphetamine. In 

September 1995, 5 percent of juvenile male arrestees tested positive for methamphetamine. By 

September 1996 that number had more than doubled to 13 percent. There is also increasing use among 

Hispanics in this area. 

Methamphetamine in the San Diego area comes from two sources: some "Mom and Pop" 

operations out in rural areas of the county and, more commonly, from Mexican nationals bringing 

already manufactured methamphetamine across the border. The drug is typically sold in 1/4 gram 

($20-25), gram ($50-75) and 1/8 ounce ($140-180) units though larger amounts are available. In this 

area, sources estimate that less than 10 percent of users inject, most preferring snorting or smoking the 

drug. 

Methamphetamine appears to be second only to crack cocaine in popularity in the Los Angeles 

area. As in San Diego, there is a growing use among Hispanics, though the majority of users are white 

males. Methamphetamine is available from individual, local manufacturers in inland areas like 

Riverside, but the market is increasingly dominated by established Mexican Nationals with more 

efficient, well-organized distribution routes. In Los Angeles, methamphetamine is most often smoked 

or snorted rather than injected. 

Treatment providers from across the State uniformly report that methamphetamine is one of 

their most serious problems. Treatment admissions in 1995 for methamphetamine abuse San 

Francisco, for example, were double the 1992 level. In our survey of providers, 57 percent of 

programs report that it is continuing to rise in their area; 25 percent feel that it has stabilized and 7 

percent report it declining. While methamphetamine is a commonly reported drug, it may not be the 

primary drug problem which brings their clients to treatment. 39 percent of programs report alcohol as 

the most common problem among clients at entry into treatment, followed by opiates (18 %), 

methamphetamine (18%), cocaine (14%) and marijuana (11%). However, on average 38 percent of 

treatment admissions are abusers of methamphetamine. Some programs, like one Northern California 

adolescent program, report far higher figures: 50 percent of the adolescent clients enter with 

methamphetamine as their primary drug of abuse and 80 percent report that they regularly use it. 

Who is using methamphetamine? There are two basic profiles of users reported by treatment 

providers: 

1) students, both high school and college age, males and females, and 

2) white, blue collar workers or unemployed persons in their twenties. 

~ ~ : ; v~', • ,:.- . : , : 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY IV 
Several providers in Southern California also mention an increase in the number of Hispanic 

methamphetamine users, though whites still appear to dominate this user group. They are also likely to 

be users of alcohol and marijuana along with methamphetamine rather than users of drugs like heroin. 

For example, two methadone programs reported that less than 10 percent of their clients enter 

treatment reporting that they use methamphetamine. In contrast, programs where alcohol or marijuana 

are the primary drugs of abuse at entry report that as many as 70-80 percent of their clients also use 

methamphetamine. 61 percent of treatment providers also felt that there was some substitution of 

methamphetamine for the less accessible and more expensive cocaine, but many also noted that 

methamphetamine has a clear following of its own. 

What prompts methamphetamine users to enter treatment? Methamphetamine can cause a 

variety of mental, physical, and social problems which may prompt entry into treatment. Though it is 

not as expensive as heroin or cocaine, its cost might also produce financial problems for users and 

prompt them to seek help. Because so many clients in treatment for methamphetamine abuse are also 

unemployed, one might assume that it could eventually produce difficulties on the job. It is interesting 

to note, however, that the most commonly reported reason methamphetamine clients enter treatment is 

trouble with the law. 46 percent of programs report that legal problems are the most common reasons 

for entry; 29 percent report mental or emotional problems most common and 14 percent report 

problems on the job or at school. 

Several providers also describe methamphetamine abusers as "the hardest to treat." They are 

often overly excitable and "extremely resistant to any form of intervention once the acute effects of 

meth use have gone away," e.g., malnourishment, depression, chronic sleeplessness, headaches. 

WASHINGTON STATE 

For the information concerning methamphetamine in Washington State, two law enforcement 

officials, a drug researcher at the University of Washington, and a random sample of 16 treatment 

providers around the State were interviewed. 

In addition, we reviewed 1995 DAWN data, available only for Seattle. DAWN data indicate a 

7 percent increase from 1994-1995 in the number of medical examiner mentions for Seattle, about 4 

percent of all ME deaths reported for 1995. Of the 10,729 ER mentions for Seattle in 1995, 

approximately 3 percent involved methamphetamine. 

All sources describe a rising trend in methamphetamine availability and use, though problems 

with heroin and cocaine are still dominant in the urban areas of the State. Epidemiologic data indicate 

that there has been a 252 percent increase in the number of treatment admissions with 

methamphetamine as the primary drug of abuse between 1992 and 1995. The overwhelming majority 

of methamphetamine admissions are of whites (almost 90%); 40 percent are in their late twenties and 

early thirties and 37 percent are injecting the drug. 

Epidemiologic sources point out that while the majority of users continues to be rural bikers 

and blue collar workers, there are also a number of other groups now using. For example, it is 

reported that the drug is becoming increasingly popular among street youth, among Native American 

populations and among Hispanic immigrants. This source describes this as a diffusion from rural to 

urban,' from gay p0pulations :t6 laet~i:osexiials and from White to minorities. 

' OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY V 
Sellers and manufacturers in Washington State, including both local residents and Mexican 

Nationals, are reported to be increasing in number. One Seattle law enforcement source describes the 

increase in distribution and use as "remarkable in the last 18 months." The increase in the number of 

prosecutions from seven in 1991 to 52 in 1995 indicate the growth in the sheer number of dealers. 

Labs are reported as springing up in a variety of places: hotels, motels, backrooms of other facilities. 

DEA sources report that, as in California, Mexican meth dealers are using the same routes and 

distributors for meth as they use or have used for heroin and cocaine. This source also reports the 

practice of "eating" meth; that is, putting it on paper or food and chewing it, though injecting and 

snorting are the most common modes of ingestion. 

Among treatment providers interviewed around the State, 94 percent reported that 

methamphetamine use is increasing in their area. The remaining 6 percent report that it has stabilized. 

Thoiagh no programs reported that methamphetamine use was the primary drug of abuse for most of 

their clients at treatment entry, on average, approximately 30 percent of those in treatment use the 

drug. As is reported in California, the most common reason cited for meth using clients to seek 

treatment is trouble with the law (50%), followed by mental and family problems. 

There is a wider variety of methods of using methamphetamine in the Washington area than in 

some of the other States. Providers report that clients are equally likely to smoke, inject, or snort it. 

81 percent of Washington treatment providers also reported that methamphetamine is substituting for 

the more expensive and far less accessible cocaine. Almost 70 percent reported that use is up because 

methamphetamine is cheap and/or readily available throughout the State. Methamphetamine, like 

marijuana, is considered a "local" or "homemade" drug. 

Who is using meth in Washington State? The typical user is described as white, high school 

educated, in his or her twenties and thirties, and a blue collar or service worker. Several providers 

stress that this is not someone who also uses heroin and cocaine. Two directors of Seattle programs 

which serve heroin users state that less than 5 percent of their clients use methamphetamine. Most 

often the companion drugs used by methamphetamine users are alcohol and marijuana. As one 

provider comments, "It is the alcohol that brings them in here. Once in treatment, we see the problems 

with speed, pot, and hallucinogens." 

OREGON 

All sources describe methamphetamine as a "continuing problem" in Oregon. 

Methamphetamine has been part of the drug scene there since the 1960s--a part that did not disappear 

completely as it did in many other areas of the country. Oregon has also been one of the States with 

steady activity in the production of methamphetamine and distribution to other areas of the West. 

Whereas other States may report only a handful of laboratory busts or supply seizures over the last 

twenty years, Oregon law enforcement reports consistent activity surrounding the drug. 

DAWN data from medical examiners in Portland indicates a decline in deaths due to 

methamphetamine from 1994-1995. Similarly, data gathered from police sources in Eugene, regional 

DEA agents and treatment providers indicates that, while there may be some stabilization, 

methamphetamine use is still a major drug problem in the State. 

Law enforcement sources report that methamphetamine continues to plague the area. July of 

., OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY VI 
1995 brought one of the largest laboratory busts in an area of rural Oregon where manufacturers were 

producing as much as 100 pounds of methamphetamine per batch. This bust led to related police action 

involving distributors across the Canadian border. While a portion of the drug is still produced locally, 

police sources report that currently the bulk of the supply now comes from California and Mexico. 

Production of methamphetamine is described as having "always been around" in rural Oregon. 

However, it is now no longer just a local operation managed by a handful of producers in small labs. 

Treatment providers throughout the State describe methamphetamine as a problem. 47 

percent of those interviewed reported that methamphetamine is the primary drug of abuse of their 

clients, followed by 40 percent reporting alcohol and 13 percent reporting marijuana as the primary 

problem. A average of 52 percent of clients across all programs use methamphetamine. In one small 

rural Oregon town, the treatment director commented that these are areas where "people don't use 

cocaine--wouldn't think of it--but speed is widely accepted, particularly among 18-25 year olds." 

Another program which dealt only with adolescents reports that only 10 percent come into treatment 

with meth as the primary problem (that is usually alcohol or marijuana), but 70-80 percent use it. 

Many providers also commented on its availability due to "homemade" sources. 80 percent of 

providers reported the prevalence of meth in their area as due primarily to its low cost and/or wide 

availability. 

Who is using meth in Oregon? The typical Oregon user is quite similar to that reported in 

other States: white, often male, a blue collar worker now unemployed, in his/her twenties and early 

thirties. Adolescent programs also report methamphetamine use among students, sometimes as young as 

ninth graders. The most common reason for treatment entry is legal troubles. The most common 

method of ingestion in this area is snorting, followed by injecting and, to a far lesser degree, smoking. 

ARIZONA 

Like Southern California, Arizona has reported problems with methamphetamine use and 

trafficking for several years. Sitting at the southwest border, Arizona has been struggling with the 

traffic in what one source described as "first the makings for the cake (chemicals) and now the cake 

itself (processed methamphetamine)" for many years. 

DAWN data indicate that Phoenix ranks third nationwide in the number of methamphetamine 

ER mentions in 1995 with 732 mentions, about 10 percent of all Phoenix ER mentions, though this 

number has been decreasing over the last few years. Medical examiner data from Phoenix is also 

somewhat encouraging, indicating a substantial decline (29%) in the number of deaths attributable to 

methamphetamine. Approximately 42 percent of these mentions involve smoking of the drug, the most 

common method reported in the State by all sources. 

Ethnographic sources report that methamphetamine in both urban and rural areas is a widely 

prevalent, and may be increasingly popular among young users where "it has not received the attention 

cocaine has; does not have the 'mystique' cocaine has." Users tend to be either White, rural blue 

collar workers who have used the drug for many years or urban cocaine users who are switching to 

methamphetamine. The latter users are described as people who can not get cocaine and/or those who 

burn out on the drug and "need the stronger, longer lasting and cheaper high meth can provide." The 

problem noted by this source is that users burn out even faster often developing even higher levels of 

paranoia or other dysfunctional behavior than they experience with cocaine. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY VII 
Law enforcement sources in Phoenix report that methamphetamine continues as the "drug of 

choice" in Arizona, the number one street trafficking drug problem. Though this source describes 

adult use as stabilizing somewhat, like the ethnographic source, he feels that adolescent use appears to 

be increasing as adolescents "feel more confident of its safety," perceiving it safer than cocaine. These 

users are more likely to snort the drug, though some are injecting. 

Street level trade in methamphetamine is brisk in Phoenix. Prices range from $20-$25 for a 1/4 

gram unit to $160-$180 for 1/8 ounce. Sellers tend to be U.S. citizens selling their own local product 

or Mexican nationals selling methamphetamine produced across the border. Many local labs continue 

to spring up in the area and it is estimated that police uncover one or even two a week. 

Of the 24 Arizona treatment providers interviewed, 71 percent felt that methamphetamine use 

was up in their area, overwhelmingly (72%) because it is cheap and/or available. While alcohol (46%) 

and cocaine (17 %) are the primary drugs of abuse at entry in most programs, methamphetamine (13 %) 

ranks third. In addition, these programs report an average of 40 percent of their clientele using 

methamphetamine at entry. Smoking and snorting the drug are most common routes of administration. 

As in other States, providers in Arizona report troubles with the law (63%) as the most 

common catalyst to treatment entry, followed by family problems (21%) and financial problems (8 %). 

Most of the clients they see who are abusing methamphetamine are young (twenties) and either 

unemployed or employed in a blue collar occupation. While the typical user is still currently white, 

several providers noted the increase in methamphetamine abuse among young Hispanics and Native 

American populations. Urban areas like Phoenix and Tucson also reported the popularity of 

methamphetamine among the gay population due its image as an enhancer of sexual stamina. 

NEW MEXICO 

Law enforcement sources in New Mexico report that methamphetamine is readily available in 

that State, both from heavy trafficking across the border and from the local operations which spring up, 

particularly in rural or remote areas. Though there are many "match book" or "do-it-yourself" 

operations in the area, the bulk of the supplies to New Mexico come from the larger and more efficient 

Mexican based producers. The number of seizures of methamphetamine has increased dramatically 

since the early 1990s, including an almost 700 pound seizure in New Mexico in 1994. 

The demand is both the traditional older "biker" users as well as former cocaine and crack 

users switching to the cheaper, longer lasting high. When cocaine is available, it is preferred by many 

of these users. This source reports that in fact, many users buy methamphetamine marketed as 

cocaine. 

Half of the 16 treatment providers interviewed report that methamphetamine use has 

increased in the past year, while 44 percent report that it has stabilized in their areas. Three-fourths of 

the programs ~eport that the primary drug of abuse at entry for most of their clients is alcohol, followed 

by opiates (13 %). No program reported that the majority of their clients report methamphetamine as 

the primary drug problem, and the average proportion of clients using meth at entry is 27 percent. 

Several providers report that the stabilization in use is due to crackdowns on local labs in their 

area as well as a rise in the popularity of heroin in the State. Methamphetamine is described as widely 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY VIII 
available, however. As one provider commented, "They think they won't become addicted and it is 

cheaper than anything but pot." Programs in remote or very rural areas of the State often report users 

who value the drug for its ability to keep them working on farms or in oil fields for long periods of 

time allowing them to accumulate extra or overtime pay. Too often, that pay is spent on the common 

companion or primary drug problem, alcohol. 

The typical users in New Mexico are white, unemployed, and in their twenties. They are as 

likely to snort the drug as they are to inject it. As in the other States, the most common reason for 

seeking treatment among meth abusers is trouble with the law. One provider describes a male client 

who abuses alcohol and methamphetamine and routinely gets into brawls as a result. The aggression 

produced by inebriation, heightened by the paranoia and sense of physical prowess produced by 

methamphetamine, combine to make him a regular with the local authorities. Methamphetamine also, 

however, makes him a difficult arrestee to manage in small facilities. 

HAWAII 

Sources in Hawaii report the greatest prevalence of methamphetamine use and the widest range 

in types of users of all the States surveyed. Most often in the smokeable crystalline form called "ice" 

in the mainland but a number of other names in Hawaii, methamphetamine is reported among whites, 

Asians, males and females, students, blue collar workers, and professionals. It is smoked in expensive 

glass pipes, mixed with tobacco, or even in pipes made from soda cans. 

Drug research sources in Honolulu report that while methamphetamine has wide appeal in that 

area, it is also associated with violent episodes and difficulty in successful treatment. In a study in the 

early 1990s, 40 percent of prisoners admitted to local facilities had used methamphetamine. Sources of 

the drug are both local and from other areas in the Pacific, though the drug is distributed and readily 

available through local dealers of other drugs like cocaine and heroin. 

69 percent of treatment providers interviewed felt that methamphetamine use had increased 

over the past year and 25 percent felt it was stabilizing. It is the primary drug of abuse at entry for 38 

percent of programs !nterviewed, second only to alcohol (44%) and followed by marijuana (19%). An 

average of 55 percent of the clients at entry use methamphetamine, and, as in other States, it is trouble 

with the law which prompts them to seek treatment most of the time (44%). Several providers receive 

clients through employee assistance programs which refer employees who have exhibited inappropriate 

or aggressive behavior on the job or chronic absenteeism. 

The typical user profile is harder to draw for Hawaii. While many programs report that users 

are young (teens and twenties), there is a range of jobs, ethnicities, and education levels reported. No 

program reports that clients inject; users either smoke methamphetamine (81%) or inhale it (25%). A 

commonly reported problem in treating these clients is that they "rarely admit to methamphetamine 

abuse. They will tell you about "huffing" (inhalant abuse) if they are kids or about alcohol if they are 

adults, but fail to mention the meth until ~ ask them." Methamphetamine users do, however, need 

extended treatment, according to several treatment providers, particularly if they have been smoking 

for a year or more. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY IX 
SUMMARY 

Methamphetamine abuse is a continuing problem in these Western states and in Hawaii. While 

the drug has been used in these States for many years by a small number of users, it has gradually 

become the drug of choice and primary drug of abuse at entry to treatment in many areas, even 

overtaking the more common drug problems of heroin and cocaine in treatment populations. Even in 

areas where alcohol is cited as the most common treatment problem, methamphetamine is often the 

companion drug, along with marijuana, in anywhere from 25 to 80 percent of the cases. 

Methamphetamine is a drug with particular appeal to students and to blue collar workers, using 

it for recreation, to increase job or school performance, or simply to stay energized for long periods of 

time. It is cheaper and more accessible than cocaine and appears not to have the same stigma 

associated with it. As one ethnographer comments, "These users are too young to remember the 

'Speed Kills' campaigns of the late 60s and early 70s, and seem to think it is pretty harmless." It can 

be injected, snorted, smoked or even eaten, making it more versatile drug to administer. However, it 

is also a drug which has high burnout potential. Treatment providers in all States report users enter 

treatment more rapidly with methamphetamine than with either heroin or cocaine. 

One particularly interesting finding from these surveys is the uniformity of response in terms of 

why users decide to enter treatment. Over 50 percent of providers in each State cited legal problems as 

the catalyst for most of their methamphetamine clients' entry into treatment. These legal problems are 

described as aggressive behaviors like fighting or bizarre or inappropriate behaviors which prompt 

others to call the police. Police sources also note that arrestees under the influence of 

methamphetamine are some of the most difficult to manage due to high levels of hostility, paranoia and 

agitation. 

This report also finds that methamphetamine is readily available in these six States. It is both 

locally manufactured by small producers operating in a variety of places and using recipes widely 

circulated in the drug culture and, increasingly (on the U.S. mainland), manufactured and distributed 

by Mexican nationals through local networks already established in the distribution of other drugs. 

This more efficient routing may be in part responsible for its increased popularity in many areas. 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY X 
CITIES REPRESENTED IN SAMPLE OF TREATMENT PROVIDERS 

Washington Oregon 

Kirkland John Day 

Seattle Eugene 

Wenatchee Medford 

Spokane Portland 

Yakima Pendleton 

Everett Albany 

Longview Salem 

Pasco Hillsboro 

Tacoma 

Arizona 

California 

Desert Hot Springs 

Phoenix Fresno 

Tempe San Francisco 

Tucson Los Angeles 

Holbrook Hawaiian Gardens 

Kingman Berkeley 

Chinle Chico 

Chandler Hayward 

Bakers Field 

New Mexico Modesta 

Sacramento 

Albuquerque Redwood City 

Carlsbad Culver City 

Alamogordo Bellevue 

Hobbs Canoga Park 

Santa Fe San Mateo 

Compton 

Hawaii Cypress 

Long Beach 

Honolulu Chula Vista 

Kailua Inglewood 

Wahiawa Costa Mesa 

Waianae Sonora 

Lihue 

Pearl Harbor 

Ewe Beach 

Makawao 

Wailuku 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY XI 
ETHNOGRAPHIC/DRUG RESEARCH SOURCES 

Sheigla Murphy, Ph.D. 

Director 

Center for Substance Abuse Studies 

Institute for Scientific Analysis 

San Francisco, CA 

Kiku Annon. Ph.D. 

Drug Abuse Research Center 

UCLA 

Los Angeles, CA. 

T. O'Brien 

Drug Enforcement Administration 

Seattle, WA 

D. Struthers 

Drug Enforcement Administration 

Yakima, WA. 

Susan Pennell, M.A. 

Director, Drug Use Forecasting 

Criminal Justice Division. 

San Diego Association of Governments 

San Diego, CA. 

Michael Gorman, Ph.D. 

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute 

University of Washington 

Seattle, WA 

Felipe Castro, Ph.D. 

Hispanic Research Center 

Arizona State University 

Phoenix, AZ 

Gene Kassenbaum, Ph.D. 

Department of Sociology 

University of Hawaii 

Honolulu, HI 

LAW ENFORCEMENT 

G. Fassler 

Assistant Special Agent 

Drug Enforcement Agency 

Phoenix, AZ 

P. Kearns 

Eugene Police Department 

Eugene Oregon 

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY XII 
Appendix B 

Appendix B 

Pulse Check Methodology 

Since its first publication in 1992, the Pulse Check has provided the most current intelligence 

about drug markets and patterns of drug abuse nation-wide. The Pulse Check draws on discussions 

with ethnographers and epidemiologists working in the drug field, law enforcement agents, and drug 

treatment providers across the country. Approximately seventy-five people are called for each 

report. 

Ethnographers, Epidemiologists, and other Ethnographic Sources 

Ethnography is a mode of research that analyzes the behavior of groups in the natural 

settings in which these behaviors occur. Ethnographers use field observations and interviews to 

gather data. Ethnography is not undercover work. Rather, the ethnographer, who is fully 

revealed as a social science researcher, enters the drug user's world to record and describe it "on 

its own terms," that is, without predetermined ideas. 

Epidemiologists are also consulted for the Pulse Check. Epidemiologists study the 

origins, spread, and control of diseases, in a general public health paradigm. In the field of 

substance abuse, they track changes in patterns of drug use, including the incidence and 

prevalence of the use of specific drugs, characteristics of users, and emerging trends. Many 

epidemiologists who report for the Pulse Check are members of the National Institute on Drug 

Abuse (NIDA) Community Epidemiology Working Group (CEWG). 

Other ethnographers, such as sociologists and psychologists who use ethnographic 

research techniques, also are included as sources for the Pulse Check. 

The ethnographic sources contacted by Pulse Check include some of the best known drug 

researchers in the country. In some cases, they are trained ethnographers; in other cases, they are 

epidemiologists with access to ethnographic information; a few are social researchers working in 

a field site collecting ethnographic data. Reporters are generally the same for each round of 

calls. 

The following twelve ethnographers, epidemiologists, and other ethnographic sources 

from urban areas were contacted for this issue of Pulse Check: 

Austin, TX: Jane Maxwell, M.A. Director of Needs Assessment Department, Texas 

Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. 

Bridgeport, CN: Garry Geter. Addictions Counselor, Connecticut Department of Health. 

Chicago, IL: Wayne Weibel, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Director of 
Community Outreach Intervention Projects, University of Illinois School of Public Health. 

Denver, CO: Stephen Koester, Ph.D. Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

Miami, FL: Bryan Page, Ph.D. Professor of Anthropology and Psychiatry and Deputy Director, 

Center for the Biopsychosocial Study of AIDS, University of Miami. 

Newark, DE: Mario Pazzaglini, Ph.D. Private Consultant to State of Delaware and several drug 

treatment facilities. Formerly with the State of Delaware, Bureau of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse 

and the University of Delaware. 

New York, NY: Doug Goldsmith, M.A. Ethnographer, NDRI (a non-profit drug research 

company). 

New York, NY: John Galea, M.A. Chief of Ethnography, New York State Office of 

Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. Former Commanding Officer of the New York City 

Police Department Youth Gang Intelligence Unit. 

San Antonio/El Paso, TX: Reyes Ramos, Ph.D. Professor of Health Sciences, University of 

Texas. 

San Diego, CA: Susan Pennell, M.A. Director, Criminal Justice Research Division, San Diego 

Association of Governments. 

Trenton/Newark, N J: John French, M.A. Chief Epidemiologist, New Jersey Department of 

Public Health. 

Police Sources 

Police sources are drawn from the Abt staff's existing contacts within law enforcement 

and from contacts developed through the recommendations of law enforcement agencies. These 

sources are typically officers working on special squads, narcotics task forces, and DEA agents. 

This issue of Pulse Check reached police sources in six cities. Reporters are generally the 

same for each round of calls; however, when police contacts must change as officers take on new 

positions, replacements are typically made on the recommendation of the officer who had been 

the Pulse Check reporter. 

Treatment Providers 

The sample of treatment providers is derived from the National Facility Register, a 

directory of treatment programs compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Administration, from which this sample from the Uniform Facility Data Set (formerly the 
National Drug Abuse Treatment Unit Survey) is drawn within the U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services. The listings are divided into four regions that have a similar number of 

treatment programs and are treated equally for sampling. The states in each region are listed 

below. 

Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, 

New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania 

d 

Region II: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, North Carolina, 

South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Maryland, Delaware, 

Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia 

Region III: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, 

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota 

Region IV- Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, California, Idaho, 

New Mexico, Washington, Oregon 

This Pulse Check incorporates the comments of 61 treatment providers. From each of the 

four regions listed above, 20 large (over 100 clients) programs and 20 small (under 100 clients) 

programs were identified, 10 to 15 of each type were contacted, and the remaining 5 served as 

replacements. The samples are stratified to include equal numbers of large and small programs. 

Topics of Discussion 

Below is a sample of topics that are raised with Pulse Check reporters. 

ETHNOGRAPHERS, EPIDEMIOLOGISTS, AND LAW ENFOR CEMENT SO UR CES 

• Level of illicit drug use in the community. Changes in the use of drugs over the last six 

months. 

• Age, ethnicity, and sex of users in your area. 

• Frequency of use, prevailing routes of administration. Changes over the last six months. 

Who is selling. 

group. 

Changes in this group over the last six months. Other drugs sold by this 

• Current prices. Changes in prices over the last six months. Typical units of purchase. 
TREATMENT PR 0 VIDERS 

• Proportion of population reporting heroin/cocaine/marijuana/alcohol as the primary drug 

of abuse. 

• Proportion of population that is injecting versus inhaling/smoking the drug. Changes in 

this proportion over the last six months. 

• Other drugs used. 

• Characteristics (age, ethnicity, and sex) of clients. 

• Proportion of population that has had prior treatment. 
email: askncjrs@aspensys.com 

fax: 301-251-5212 

P.O. Box 6000 

Rockville, MD 20849-6000 

The ONDCP Drugs & Crime ClearinghouseO 

operates a toll-free 800 number staffed by drugs and 

crime information specialists 

distributes Office of National Drug Control Policy 

and Department of Justice publications about 

drugs and crime 

answers requests for specific drug-related data 

performs customized bibliographic searches 

advises requesters on data availability and of other 

information resources that may meet their needs 

maintains a public reading room 

Affiliated with the National Criminal Justice Reference Service 
Prepared for: 

Executive Office of the President 

Office of National Drug Control Policy 

750 17th Street, N.W., Eighth Floor 

Washington, DC 20503 

Prepared by: 

Dana Hunt, Ph.D. 

Edited by: 

Sumona Guha 



Office of National Drug Control Policy 

Executive Office of the President 

Washington, D.C. 20503