NCJ Number
204711
Date Published
December 2001
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This assessment of the status and outlook for the drug threat to Wyoming considers the threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most current 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 as a whole.
Abstract
Mexican criminal groups dominate the production, transportation, and distribution of most illicit drugs in Wyoming. They are the primary transporters and distributors of methamphetamine, marijuana, and cocaine at the wholesale level. Methamphetamine is the most significant drug threat to the State, making it the priority for drug investigations by Federal, State, and local law enforcement officials. A significant number of people are treated annually for methamphetamine abuse. Methamphetamine produced in California by Mexican criminal groups is readily available, but methamphetamine produced in Mexico is the most common type available. The number of methamphetamine laboratory seizures has increased since 1996. Marijuana is the drug of choice in Wyoming. In addition to marijuana produced in Mexico, high-potency marijuana is also produced locally, primarily indoors and in small quantities. Cocaine abuse in the State remains stable, albeit at relatively low levels of consumption. The authorities do not consider heroin a significant threat in Wyoming. There is a limited user population, most of which uses Mexican black tar heroin. "Other dangerous drugs" pose the least significant drug threat in Wyoming; however, State law enforcement agencies are concerned about the increasing use of LSD, GHB, MDMA, and psilocybin by youth at clubs and raves. Diverted pharmaceuticals are not widely abused in Wyoming, although State and local officials are on the alert for a potential increase in the abuse of the prescription painkiller OxyContin. 1 table, 4 figures, and a list of 49 sources