NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

Among ME deaths reported by DAWN, benzodiazepine-involved
deaths numbered 115 in 2002, a dramatic
858-percent increase from the 12 reported in 1999.
According to the SSU, the three most popular or commonly
sold pharmaceuticals on the street in this
category are Xanax, Elavil, and Catapres. Based on
field observations, these pills are readily available
throughout the city. Given the high number of sellers
and the number of transactions observed, the use of
these illicit medications is high and is not expected to
decline in the near future.
Since these drugs are manufactured by legitimate
pharmaceutical companies, purity is not an issue. Most
of these medications come in a variety of strengths, however,
and not all strengths are found on the street.
Observations indicate that the following pills are sold on
the street: Xanax, 1-milligram ($3) and 2-milligram ($5)
tablets; Elavil, 1-milligram ($1) tablets; and Catapres, 2milligram
($1) and 3-milligram ($2) tablets.
These medications usually come in their original package,
typically bottles. The pill sellers generally obtain
these drugs from pill-mill doctors, who write prescriptions
indiscriminately. A visit to the doctor may cost
the pill seller $100; the doctor will typically write three
prescriptions. A pharmacy fills out the prescription and
charges Medicaid. On the street, these pills are sold
individually, and no packaging is necessary.
Although brand names are not applicable in this drug
category, sellers tend to use the pharmaceutical name of
the product. Sellers may also use slang terms in “hawking”
or marketing the availability of a given pill. These
terms include “football” and “sticks” for Xanax, due to
the oval or elongated shapes of the tablets.
Pill street sellers and buyers appear to be a subpopulation
of heroin and methadone users. The majority of the
pill sellers operating near treatment facilities tend to be
primarily Black or Hispanic; a substantial number of
sellers and buyers are White. They are usually older
(35–45 years old), and most appear to have a history of
heroin abuse; some appear to currently be in treatment.
Although most pill sellers are male, about one-third of
the pill sellers, observed by field researchers, were female.
Most pill sellers do not see themselves as drug
dealers; instead, this activity is simply viewed as another
“hustle,” used to generate money in order to
support their drug habit.
Most of the medications in this category are sold in pill
form and taken orally.
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—New York City
Hallucinogens
Overall, the number of PCP ED mentions declined insignificantly
from 697 in 1995 to 341 in 2002. The
number of mentions in 2001 was 203. Lysergic acid
diethylamide (LSD) ED mentions declined significantly
from 188 mentions in 1995 to 49 in 2002, a decrease of
74 percent.
In the past few years, PCP-involved deaths have averaged
about 6 per year, except for 1995, when 16 such
deaths were reported by DAWN. Between 1998 and
1999, PCP-involved deaths increased from 2 to 11.
With regard to ADAM data, 3.9 percent of male arrestees
and no female arrestees in New York tested positive
for PCP in 2003. The male figure was more than twice
that reported for 2002 (1.6 percent).
Some street sources claim that PCP is becoming more
readily available in the city. Recently, one street observer
was informed that a bodega in the Bronx was
selling cocaine laced with PCP. PCP is available in
liquid and powdered form. It is also known as angel
dust, ozone, wack, and rocket fuel. A cigarette dipped
in PCP costs between $5 and $20.
Club Drugs
Club drugs are a collection of various synthetic chemical
compounds that are often abused by young people
in festive social settings, such as dance clubs, afterhour
clubs, “raves,” and other special events. Club
drugs include methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA), methamphetamine, gamma hydroxybutyrate
(GHB), and ketamine. Raves and other all-night parties
are about endurance and sensory overstimulation, and,
not surprisingly, many of the club drugs have stimulant
or hallucinogenic properties. Since many of club drugs
are synthetic and manufactured, purity is not a real issue,
but the quality of these products poses a serious
concern. The chemical expertise of the producers, the
ingredients used, and laboratory conditions used to
manufacture these substances are uncertain and potentially
dangerous.
According to the SSU, street sources report that
MDMA, a stimulant with hallucinogenic properties, is
easy to obtain in many areas of the city. Given that ecstasy
is beginning to be available to a limited extent in
communities of color, the appeal of this drug may be
expanding across racial, ethnic, and social class
boundaries. MDMA is often called “ecstasy,” “XTC,”
Adam, or X, although other substances are often sold as
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005 173