Cocaine

The threat posed to the United States by the trafficking and abuse of cocaine is very high. Despite significant success in reducing worldwide cocaine production and increasing cocaine seizures, cocaine remains readily available throughout the country. Moreover, the demand for cocaine, although declining among most age groups, remains relatively high. In fact, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data indicate that in 2003 more than 5.9 million persons aged 12 or older had used cocaine within the past year.¹

Trends and Developments

• Key indicators show stable or slightly increased cocaine availability in U.S. drug markets despite sharp decreases in the amount of cocaine transported toward the United States from South America in 2003.

• Use of powder and crack cocaine has decreased overall among eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders since 1999. Powder cocaine use among young adults has increased since 1999, while crack use has trended downward slightly. 

Figure 2.  Rates of Past Year Use for Powder Cocaine, 1999-2004

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Source:  Monitoring the Future.   

• According to intelligence community estimates, potential worldwide cocaine production has decreased sharply since 2001, primarily because of a 34 percent decline in cocaine production in Colombia from 700 metric tons in 2001 to 460 metric tons in 2003.

Table 1.  Andean Region Coca Cultivation, in Hectares, 
and Potential Cocaine Production, in Metric Tons, (100% pure), 1999-2003

Source: Crime and Narcotics Center: Major Narcotics-Producing Nations.

• The total amount of cocaine destined for U.S. drug markets decreased sharply in 2003. 

Table 2. Cocaine Losses in Transit Toward the United States, in Metric Tons, 2002-2003

Source: Interagency Assessment of Cocaine Movement, 2003.
* Unprecedented levels of eradication have introduced an element of uncertainty to these estimates.

• According to the Interagency Assessment of Cocaine Movement (IACM), an estimated 77 percent of the cocaine detected moving toward the United States in 2003 was transported through the Mexico-Central America corridor, an  increase from 72 percent in 2002. Moreover, preliminary data show that the percentage of cocaine detected moving toward the United States through the Mexico-Central America corridor may have been higher than 90 percent in 2004.

Figure 3. Cocaine Flows to the United States

Source: Interagency Assessment of Cocaine Movement, 2003.
Boundary representations are not necessarily authoritative.

• Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, and New York are the cocaine PMAs because these cities have demonstrated very high levels of cocaine abuse and are among the largest regional- or national-level cocaine distribution centers. Dallas and Phoenix are national-level cocaine distribution centers, but cocaine abuse in these cities is significantly lower than in many metropolitan areas. Cocaine consumption is very high in Baltimore, Detroit, and Philadelphia; however, drug seizure data show relatively little cocaine distribution from these cities to other significant drug markets.

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End Note

1. The NSDUH, formerly the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, a project of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) since 1971, is the primary source of information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by the civilian, non-institutionalized population in the United States.

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