NCJ Number
200167
Date Published
March 2002
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This strategic assessment of the status and outlook of the drug threat to Delaware involves an analytical judgment about the threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most current quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand, production or cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as well as the effects of the drug on abusers and society as a whole.
Abstract
Heroin, primarily South American, poses the greatest drug threat to Delaware. High purity, low-cost heroin is readily available in the State, and the rate of heroin abuse among teens and young adults approaches the abuse rate for alcohol, the primary substance abused in the State. The number of new abusers, particularly among teens and young adults, has increased dramatically. Delaware had the fifth highest rate of heroin-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in the Nation in 1999. Cocaine is the second greatest drug threat to Delaware. Powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are readily available and commonly abused, and their distribution and abuse are more commonly associated with violent crime than any other drug in the State. Delaware had the fourth highest rate of cocaine-related treatment admissions to publicly funded facilities in the Nation in 1999. The annual number of cocaine-related treatment admissions has remained relatively stable, ranking second to heroin since 1996. Although marijuana is the most readily available and widely abused drug, its distribution and abuse are not commonly associated with violent crime. Reported rates of marijuana abuse among high school students in Delaware are high and increasing. MDMA poses a growing threat as abuse levels have increased throughout the State. Methamphetamine is available and abused in Delaware, but poses only a minimal threat when compared with the harms caused by other illicit drugs. Overall, the distribution and abuse of illegal drugs in Delaware constitute a serious threat to public security. 3 tables and 33 references