Virginia

• There were 3,939 total arrests (all ages) for crack in the state of Virginia during 2001. This is an increase over the 3,535 crack cocaine arrests during 2000.
• The production and distribution of marijuana are often times associated with violent crime in Virginia. The Law enforcement officials report that outdoor cannabis growers sometimes use counter-surveillance equipment, trip wires, and explosives to secure their cultivation sites. According to responses to the NDIC National Gang Survey 2000, numerous street gangs that distribute marijuana have committed violent crimes such as assaults, carjackings, drive-by shootings, home invasions, and homicides.
• Crack is the drug most often associated with violent crime in the state of Virginia.

Drugs

• Cocaine: Cocaine is widely abused and available throughout the state of Virginia. Powdered cocaine and crack cocaine are readily available in large urban population centers and many medium sized cities. Crack cocaine continues to plague inner city settings, particularly in Richmond, Virginia; Roanoke, Virginia; and the Tidewater, Virginia area.
• Heroin: Heroin, produced primarily in South America, is an increasing threat to Virginia. Southeast Asian, Southwest Asian, and Mexican black tar and brown powdered heroin also are available. Most new heroin abusers in Virginia are young adults who snort the drug rather than inject it. Heroin is widely available in Virginia’s urban areas, but is less existent in rural counties of the Commonwealth. Washington, D.C. is the source city for users living in Northern Virginia. In the Richmond, Virginia metropolitan area, heroin is not only an inner city phenomenon, but has gained popularity among white young people from upper middle class suburbs. Heroin also poses an increasing threat in the Tidewater, Virginia area.
• Marijuana: Marijuana, the most commonly abused drug in Virginia, is widely prevalent throughout the Commonwealth. Caucasian criminal groups and local independent dealers cultivate significant quantities of cannabis outdoors in the state, primarily in the mountainous areas of southwestern Virginia. Virginia Law enforcement officials in Alexandria, Emporia, Lynchburg, Newport News, Roanoke, and Chesterfield County report that the rates of marijuana abuse are escalating. Marijuana prices varied throughout Virginia in 2001, from $1,000 per pound in Albemarle County to $2,000 per pound in Richmond, Virginia. Retail quantities of marijuana sold for $100 to $180 per ounce depending on the area.
• Methamphetamine: The meth user population in the Richmond, Virginia area consists of white college-aged young people involved in the rave scene. Methamphetamine is also increasingly popular in Northern Virginia among young people who frequent clubs in Washington, D.C. Wholesale prices of meth vary throughout Virginia, while prices at the retail level are fairly uniform. Retail quantities of Methamphetamine sold for approximately $100 per gram in 2001. The purity of meth at both the wholesale and retail levels ranges from 60%-90%.
• Club Drugs: Ecstasy is available throughout Virginia’s urban areas and is sold largely in dance clubs and raves. Virginia Law enforcement officials in Alexandria, Fairfax, Newport News, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Henrico County, and Prince William County report escalating rates of availability and abuse of MDMA. In Northern Virginia, suburban white college-aged ecstasy users have easy access to Washington DC’s active club and rave scene. In that area, MDMA is rapidly encroaching on the mainstream drug trade and cuts across all categories of race, age and socio-economic status. In smaller cities such as Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Fredericksburg, and in small college towns, ecstasy is the drug of choice among college students. MDMA, typically stamped with a logo such as a clover, usually sells for $25 to $40 per tablet in Virginia.
• Other Drugs: OxyContin use is pervasive in Virginia’s rural Southwestern counties and is the most commonly abused drug in the Western District of the Commonwealth. In addition, diverted OxyContin is becoming increasingly available in parts of central, northern, and eastern Virginia. Law enforcement officials report that OxyContin, once predominantly abused by lower-income individuals, increasingly is being abused by middle-class individuals.

Across the United States, drug use is a cause for concern. For more and more individuals, drug use (including hard drugs like cocaine, meth, and heroin) is becoming a part of their daily lives. This raises concern that the country may be entering a period of drug use unseen since the '70s.

This increase in drug use affects not only the drug user, but also their family and friends. They suffer along with the drug addict through their ups, downs, sobriety, and intoxication. This can be very stressful for those who care about an individual with a drug addiction.

The physical and physiological health of a person who has a drug addiction is also a concern. Drug use can lead to health problems ranging from heart trouble to memory loss. These issues may have long term consequences, and at times may be deadly. Drug overdose is one such trend that is monitored across the United States. Sadly, many people die each year due to an overdose of drugs or alcohol.

Crime is also a factor when it comes to drug addiction. Many find they must spend more and more money to meet the needs of their drug addiction. This can lead to robbery, prostitution, scams and so on. Often times, those who are taken to jail are either intoxicated at the time of their arrest or are committing a crime to support their drug habit.

Although drug trends throughout the United States vary year to year, drugs are always a problem. Even when statistics are low for drug abuse, drug related crime, and drug treatment admissions, it is important to remember that it is still a cause for concern. Monitoring drug trends helps in determining where there are high amounts of drug use and how these areas may correlate with crime, addiction treatment, and health care.

This site, United States Drug Trends, will keep you informed of the current drug trends taking place throughout the United States. Use this site to educate yourself and increase your awareness of what is happening in the state you live in.