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National Drug Intelligence Center Tennessee Drug Threat Assessment May 2002 Other Dangerous DrugsOther dangerous drugs are a minimal but increasing threat to Tennessee. Other dangerous drugs include stimulants such as MDMA and khat and diverted pharmaceuticals such as Dilaudid and, more recently, OxyContin. Within the other dangerous drugs category, MDMA is the drug most commonly abused in Tennessee. Local independent Caucasian dealers usually distribute MDMA to teenagers and young adults, primarily at raves, dance clubs, bars, and on college campuses. Tennessee reportedly does not have a khat abuser population; however, the amount of khat seized at the Memphis International Airport and destined for other states is increasing. Dilaudid and OxyContin are two of the most frequently diverted and abused pharmaceuticals . StimulantsMDMA is the most commonly abused drug within the other dangerous drugs category in Tennessee, and it poses a minimal but increasing threat to the state. MDMA, also known as ecstasy, Adam, XTC, E, and X, is a stimulant and low-level hallucinogen. MDMA was patented in 1914 in Germany where it was sometimes given to psychiatric patients to assist in psychotherapy, a practice never approved by the American Psychological Association or the Food and Drug Administration. Sometimes called the hug drug, MDMA purportedly helps abusers to be more "in touch" with others and "opens channels of communication." However, abuse of the drug can cause psychological problems similar to those associated with cocaine and methamphetamine abuse including anxiety, confusion, depression, paranoia, and sleeplessness. The physical effects can include blurred vision, increased heart rate and blood pressure, involuntary teeth clenching, and muscle tension. MDMA abuse can also cause a marked increase in body temperature leading to cardiovascular system failure, kidney failure, muscle breakdown, seizure, or stroke, as reported in some fatal cases. Researchers suggest that MDMA abuse may result in long-term, and sometimes permanent, damage to parts of the brain that are critical to thought and memory. The level of MDMA abuse in Tennessee is low but increasing. Limited law enforcement reporting indicates that MDMA abuse is more common now than it has ever been in metropolitan areas such as Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville. The price of MDMA, available in tablets imprinted with various logos, usually depends on the quantity sold. Some of the most popular logos in Tennessee include the Blue Butterfly, Crowns, Mitsubishi, and Okey Dokeys. Prices for these tablets ranged from $6 to $18 at the wholesale level and averaged $26 at the retail level in 2000.
The distribution and abuse of MDMA rarely are associated with violent crime in the state. MDMA reportedly enhances feelings of happiness and friendliness, and abusers typically are seeking an exaggerated sensory and emotional experience. Most of the MDMA transported to Tennessee is produced in Europe--primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg--and is smuggled into the state through package delivery services and on passenger airlines. Most of the MDMA shipped to Tennessee is destined for other states. In December 1999 USCS agents at the Memphis International Airport seized over 1 million MDMA tablets with an estimated street value of $30 million. The drugs were being shipped from France to Los Angeles. In April 2000 USCS agents at the Memphis International Airport seized several boxes containing MDMA--172,000 tablets with an estimated street value of $4.5 million--that were shipped from Paris destined for Boston. MDMA distributed in Tennessee commonly is transported to the state from Atlanta and southern Florida. Law enforcement authorities report that local independent Caucasian dealers in Chattanooga and Nashville travel to Atlanta in private vehicles on the interstates to purchase MDMA. Wholesale MDMA distributors in southern Florida also ship MDMA using package delivery services to local independent Caucasian dealers in Nashville for local distribution.
Khat, also known as African salad, Bushman's tea, and qat, is a natural stimulant found in the leaves of the Catha edulis plant, a flowering shrub native to Northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Fresh khat leaves are crimson-brown and glossy but become yellow-green and leathery as they age. The leaves contain cathinone; if left unrefrigerated for 48 hours after picking, the leaves contain only cathine, a milder, less potent form of cathinone. The cathinone, ingested by chewing the leaves, can produce a caffeine-like jolt and a 24-hour high. Khat was made a Schedule I drug in 1993. Khat abuse may produce hallucinations, manic behavior, and paranoid delusions and may damage the nervous and respiratory systems. Tennessee reportedly does not have a khat abuser population, but the amount of khat seized at the Memphis International Airport and destined for other states is increasing. USCS officials seized 1,849.3 kilograms of khat in FY2000 and 2,139.2 kilograms in FY2001 from package delivery services at the airport. These shipments were destined for outside the state. Khat abuse in the United States appears to be limited to ethnic enclaves consisting of Arabian, East African, and Middle Eastern immigrants, primarily in cities such as Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Diverted PharmaceuticalsDiverted pharmaceuticals, particularly opioids such as Dilaudid and, more recently, OxyContin, pose an increasing threat to Tennessee. Pharmaceuticals are diverted in a variety of ways in Tennessee including "doctor shopping," improper prescribing practices by physicians, pharmacy diversion, and prescription forgery. Doctor shopping refers to a process in which individuals who may or may not have a legitimate ailment visit numerous physicians to obtain drugs in excess of what should be legitimately prescribed. Prescription forgery and doctor shopping are the most widely used diversion techniques. Pharmacy diversion occurs when pharmacy employees steal products directly from the shelves. Law enforcement officials did not report any OxyContin investigations in Tennessee in 1999; however, law enforcement officials in Anderson, Cocke, Hamblen, Scott, and Sevier Counties in eastern Tennessee reported numerous investigations of OxyContin distribution and abuse in 2000. In response to the NDIC National Drug Threat Survey 2000, the Sevier County Sheriff's Department reported that OxyContin is the drug most commonly distributed and abused in that county. Anecdotal information from law enforcement officials in Tennessee indicates that several deaths may have been related to OxyContin abuse. Other opioids such as Lortab, Lorcet, and Vicodin, and benzodiazepines such as Xanax and Valium also are diverted to a lesser extent in the state.
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