NCJ Number
204702
Date Published
March 2003
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This report is a strategic assessment that addresses the status and outlook of the drug threat to the State of Utah.
Abstract
The production, distribution, and abuse of illicit drugs and the diversion and abuse of pharmaceuticals pose a serious threat to the State of Utah. This report, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Drug Intelligence Center, describes and analyzes the drug threat to the State of Utah. An analytical judgment determines the threat posed by each drug type or category (i.e. heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and other dangerous drugs), taking into account the most quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand, production or cultivation, transportation and distribution, as well as the effects of a particular drug on abusers and society. The abuse of the drug methamphetamine is increasing in the State, an increase which is fueled by the drug’s ready availability. Of particular concern is the violence associated with methamphetamine production, distribution, and abuse. The predominant types of heroin posing a threat to Utah are Mexican black tar heroin and brown powdered heroin. Mexican criminal groups are the primary transporters and wholesale distributors of heroin in the State. Cocaine poses a threat to Utah due to the violence associated with the distribution and abuse of the drug. Marijuana produced by Mexican criminal groups in Mexico and California is the most common type of marijuana available and the most widely available illicit drug in Utah. Under the category of other dangerous drugs which includes MDMA, LSD, GHB, and diverted pharmaceuticals, MDMA poses the most significant threat because it is increasingly available and abused in the State. The outlook for the current assessed threat posed by these drugs in the State of Utah identifies methamphetamine as remaining the most serious threat to Utah. In addition, heroin will continue to be a drug threat, cocaine will remain a relatively significant drug threat, marijuana will remain a drug threat, and MDMA will become a more serious drug threat in Utah.