Office of National Drug Control Policy
Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement – January 01, 2004
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
The market for heroin and cocaine remains stable, while marijuana's popularity persists among youth, often combined with alcohol and other substances. Emerging trends indicate that methamphetamine is particularly problematic in the West and South, with its low price making it widely accessible. Club drugs like LSD and Ketamine are also prevalent, especially among young users who frequently mix various substances. Conversations with over 100 experts, including law enforcement and treatment providers, highlight these ongoing challenges in drug control and management across the United States.
Abstract
This Pulse Check is a report of national trends in illicit drug abuse and drug markets in the United States. The report draws on conversations with ethnographers and epidemiologists working in the drug field, law enforcement agents, and drug treatment providers across the United States. Information from each of these sources is summarized in narrative form broken down by drug type and presented in detailed tables at the end of the report. The four groupings of drugs are heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and emerging drugs. Results show that the market for heroin and cocaine remains fairly stable. Marijuana continues to be popular among young people and is frequently used with alcohol, hallucinogens, cocaine, or methamphetamines. Among the emerging methamphetamine continues to be a problem in the West and parts of the South, its low price making it an easily accessible drug. Club drugs, such as Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) and Ketamine, are part of the drug scene in most areas, with many young people using a combination of these substances. (RJM) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** 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