NCJ Number
200211
Date Published
July 2002
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This report assesses the status and outlook of the drug threat to Connecticut.
Abstract
In 1999, Connecticut ranked second in the Nation for substance abuse-related treatment admissions. This is telling since Connecticut is also the Nation’s third smallest State. Cocaine represents the most prevalent threat to Connecticut, followed by heroin. Marijuana, however, remains the most easily available and commonly abused drug in the State. The report discusses the transport of illegal drugs into the State and offers an overview of gangs that are thought to sell drugs in Connecticut’s cities. The overall crime rate, demographic information about its population, and the financial impact of substance abuse on the State’s budget are also discussed. Next, the report offers five chapters on the drugs that are commonly abused in Connecticut: cocaine, heroin, marijuana, other drugs, and methamphetamine. Each chapter offers information about the drug’s prevalence of abuse in Connecticut, its availability, violent crime associated with its distribution and use, how it is produced, and how it is transported and distributed in Connecticut. Finally, the report offers an outlook of the future drug threat to Connecticut. Powdered and crack cocaine will likely continue to be a major problem in Connecticut, as will heroin. The availability and use of marijuana will likely remain at stable, high levels. On the other hand, methamphetamine production and abuse are not likely to pose a serious threat to Connecticut in the near future.