Drug Threat Overview

Ice methamphetamine is readily available in the area; however, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), average purity has declined over the last several years from over 80 percent to generally between 30 and 50 percent, However, the purity of methamphetamine taken in recent seizures in 2007 in the San Francisco Bay area was above 80 percent; it is too soon to determine whether this is an emerging trend. Purity levels have most likely dropped because local production in California has declined as a result of legislation regulating the purchase of precursor chemicals. As a result, much of the methamphetamine available in the area is smuggled from the Mexican state of Michoacán rather than from traditional production areas in central and southern California. Mexican methamphetamine is generally of lower purity than methamphetamine historically produced in California, yet it is higher in purity than that traditionally available in much of the country.

In an attempt to increase their methamphetamine customer base, Mexican DTOs have started to add flavoring and coloring to the drug. The flavoring is used to mask the bitter taste of chemicals, and the bright colors give the drug the appearance of candy. This marketing ploy, clearly designed for younger users, first emerged in Contra Costa County in the beginning of 2007. The methamphetamine, bright pink in color with strawberry or cherry flavoring, has also been encountered in other areas of California and Nevada during the same time frame. Common street names are "Strawberry Quick," "Pop Rocks," and "Go Fast." A clear version with chocolate or cola flavoring has also been reported. Users typically inhale the drug or rub it on their gums.

Marijuana availability is widespread, and its abuse is rampant in the Northern California HIDTA region. This situation is a combined result of rising overall demand, increased availability of high-potency marijuana, and exploitation of California Proposition 215² by illegal cannabis cultivators and drug traffickers. Numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and task forces report an increase in the number of illegal outdoor and indoor cannabis grow sites that they encounter. This has led to an increase in violent confrontations between law enforcement and cultivators, who aggressively protect their grow sites. California's Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), a statewide marijuana eradication and enforcement task force, seized nearly 1.7 million cannabis plants in 2006. Thirty percent of the plants seized were located in the Northern California HIDTA region.³

Powder cocaine and crack cocaine are widely available and frequently abused in the region. Throughout 2006, law enforcement officials reported increased seizures of larger quantities of powder cocaine than those seized in recent years. Law enforcement officials and treatment providers report that middle- and upper-income Caucasian adults and high school students are increasingly abusing powder cocaine. Some of these abusers had previously used methamphetamine and switched to powder cocaine because of the recognized dangers of using methamphetamine, declining methamphetamine purity levels, and the belief that cocaine is safer to use because it is made from a plant. Law enforcement officials in most large urban areas within the HIDTA region report very high levels of crack cocaine abuse; crack cocaine generally is the most abused illicit drug in these areas.

Heroin is another significant drug threat within the Northern California HIDTA region. Mexican black tar heroin is the most readily available and abused form of the drug in the region. Mexican DTOs transport wholesale quantities of black tar heroin and, to a lesser extent, brown powder heroin from Michoacán through the Southwest Region for distribution within the HIDTA. HIDTA officials also report an increase in multipound seizures of black tar heroin in the street-level investigations. Although there is a large Asian community within the region, there have been no Southeast Asian or Southwest Asian heroin seizures, according to HIDTA officials.

The abuse of other dangerous drugs (ODDs) such as MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy) and diverted pharmaceuticals is at high levels in the Northern California HIDTA region. MDMA is primarily distributed in nightclubs by Asian criminal groups; some distributors and abusers also distribute the drug from their residences. Pharmaceutical abuse across all age groups remains high in the region. Benzodiazepines, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and synthetic opiates are the most frequently abused pharmaceutical drugs.

End Notes

2. California Proposition 215 allows patients and primary caregivers to possess marijuana or cultivate cannabis for medical treatment that is recommended by a physician, exempting them from criminal laws that otherwise prohibit possession or cultivation of marijuana under state law. Legal protections are also provided to physicians who recommend the use of marijuana for medical treatment. Under this proposition, no prescription is needed to obtain the drug for medicinal use. A doctor makes a recommendation either in writing or verbally.
3. Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) is a multiagency law enforcement task force that is managed by the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, and is composed of numerous local, state, and federal agencies.

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