Outlook

Overall drug availability and abuse in South Carolina are fairly stable with slight increases among certain drugs. Publicly funded treatment center admissions and drug arrests are showing an upward trend, keeping pace with an increase in the population in the state. The transportation infrastructure in South Carolina allows criminal groups operating in the United States and foreign countries easy access to the area, and drug users and distributors can also access distribution centers in neighboring states to purchase illegal drugs.

Crack cocaine will continue to be the most significant drug problem in South Carolina with availability and abuse at or near present levels. Crack sales by street gangs and the associated violence may continue to spread from the cities to suburban and rural areas. Distribution of crack cookies is a trend that will likely continue. The customer base and the transportation and distribution network for powdered and crack cocaine are firmly established.

Marijuana abuse will continue to increase if it becomes more widely accepted among the state's youth. A high rate of abuse by high school aged students is tied to the perception of reduced risk and increased availability. Teenagers increasingly perceive marijuana as harmless. An increase in the abuse of marijuana by students may lead to the abuse of other drugs. The low price of Mexico-produced marijuana may fuel this increase in use. More distributors will choose Mexico-produced marijuana over locally grown cannabis because of the larger profit margin.

Methamphetamine producers and distributors may expand their operations from the Upstate, and authorities may encounter methamphetamine laboratories statewide. The increase in methamphetamine production and availability in Greenville from 1998 to 2000 is possibly a sign of future trends. An increase in local laboratories using the "Nazi" method of production is likely to occur. Mexican criminal groups transporting the drug into South Carolina from the Southwest Border will expand their area of distribution.

The availability, distribution, and abuse of heroin will remain a minimal threat to the state, with overdoses occurring when higher purity heroin is distributed. Because greater proportions of South Carolina youth abuse heroin than youth nationally, heroin abuse may become a more significant threat as these users get older. Mexican criminal groups that transport marijuana and methamphetamine into the state may expand their operations to include heroin. Street gangs that distribute marijuana and methamphetamine in the state also may begin to distribute heroin.

The use of other dangerous drugs, especially MDMA and GHB, is increasing nationwide. This trend is likely to influence the situation in South Carolina. As more young people in the state turn to MDMA and GHB as their drugs of choice, more transportation and distribution networks will appear in the state. State and local agencies see OxyContin distribution and abuse as a growing problem.

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