U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Pennsylvania Drug Threat Assessment

NCJ Number
204697
Date Published
June 2001
Length
41 pages
Annotation
This report is a strategic assessment that addresses the status and outlook of the drug threat to the State of Pennsylvania.
Abstract
Illegal drugs pose a significant threat to the safety and security of the State of Pennsylvania. The epicenter of drug-related activity is in the State’s largest city, Philadelphia, with more drugs sold in this city than any other city in the State. This report, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center, describes and analyzes the drug threat to the State of Pennsylvania. An analytical judgment determines the threat posed by each drug type or category (i.e. heroin, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and other dangerous drugs), taking into account the most quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand, production or cultivation, and transportation and distribution, as well as the effects of a particular drug on abusers and society. The primary drug threat to the State is crack cocaine due to its low cost, wide availability, and strong association with violent crime. An increasing threat in Pennsylvania, with the potential to surpass cocaine as a primary drug threat is heroin. Highly pure, low-cost heroin has led to rising numbers of new users, particularly among the young. Drug treatment data show that heroin abuse has risen, cocaine abuse has gradually declined, and law enforcement in some areas now ranks heroin as a greater threat than cocaine. The most widely available and commonly abused drug in Pennsylvania is marijuana. Marijuana is generally regarded as a lower threat than cocaine and heroin. The use of methamphetamine in Pennsylvania is in a transitional stage. Its production, distribution, and abuse are limited. However, there is evidence of an increase in production in some areas. Lastly, the abuse of MDMA, GHB, ketamine, and LSD continues to rise.