NCJ Number
203907
Date Published
August 2003
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report provides an informational update to the Maine Drug Threat Assessment, a strategic assessment of the status and outlook of the drug threat to the State of Maine.
Abstract
In the State of Maine, the distribution and abuse of illicit drugs and diverted pharmaceuticals pose a serious threat. The majority of illicit drugs available in Maine are transported from Lowell and Lawrence, MA. Most of these illicit drugs are abused within the State and not shipped out. Heroin poses a serious threat to Maine as data indicate its wide use. It is projected that heroin treatment admissions will soon obscure those of diverted pharmaceuticals. In addition, cocaine, in both the powdered and crack form, poses a threat to the State; there is increasing availability, as well being associated with violent crime. The number of cocaine related treatment admissions increased from 2000 to 2002. In addition, the availability and abuse of other illicit drugs, mainly MDMA pose an increasing threat to the State. However, marijuana is an illicit drug that is widely available and commonly abused in Maine and considered a lesser threat than heroin. In addition, methamphetamine production, distribution, and abuse pose a low threat. The outlook for the future for the State of Maine and the illicit drugs described above include: (1) heroin will remain one of the most significant drug threats with no indication that abuse levels will decrease; (2) diverted pharmaceuticals will remain a threat, but the threat could decrease as law enforcement and legislative efforts to reduce availability and abuse become more effective; (3) cocaine will continue to increase in rural areas of the State; (4) marijuana will remain the most commonly available and widely abused illicit drug in Maine with the most prevalent type available from Mexico; (5) MDMA will continue as the most widely distributed and abused ODD in Maine; and (6) methamphetamine will continue to pose a low threat with no indications of change.