NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Washington, DC
Patterns and Trends of Drug Abuse in Washington, DC
Erin Artigiani, M.A., Margaret Hsu, M.P.H., and Eric Wish, Ph.D. 1
ABSTRACT
Cocaine/crack, marijuana, and heroin continued to
be the main illicit drug problems in Washington, DC,
in 2004, while the use and availability of PCP started
to decline. Although cocaine/crack treatment admissions
declined, cocaine remained one of the most serious
drugs of abuse in the District. More adult arrestees
tested positive for cocaine than for any other
drug during the first 8 months of 2004. Pretrial Services
test results indicate that PCP positives dropped
sharply during this time. Juvenile arrestees were more
likely to test positive for marijuana than for any other
drug, but the percentage testing positive decreased
slightly. Heroin treatment admissions increased
slightly. While other parts of the country have seen
shifts in the use of methamphetamine, use remains
low and confined to isolated populations in DC.
INTRODUCTION
Area Description
The Nation’s Capital is home to approximately
570,898 people residing in 8 wards that remain
largely distinguishable by race and economic status
(U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001 update). A majority
of the District’s wealthy White residents live in the
northwest part of the city, while many of the poor
African-American residents live in the northeast and
southeast. There are slightly more females than
males, and the majority of the District’s population
continues to be African-American (60 percent).
Nearly one-third of the population is White (31 percent),
and the remainder is primarily Hispanic and/or
Asian (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000 Census). The
population of the District is slightly older than the
general U.S. population. One in five residents are
younger than 18, and slightly more than 12 percent
are age 65 and older. More than one-third (39.1 percent)
of adults age 25 or older have at least a bachelor’s
degree (Pach et al. 2002).
Data from the 2000 census reveal several key demographic
changes since 1990. The total population
decreased by 5.7 percent during the 1990s, from
606,900 in 1990 to 572,059 in 2000. The number of
African-Americans decreased by 14.1 percent, the
number of Asians grew by 38.6 percent, and the
number of Hispanic residents grew by 37.4 percent.
The White population also grew by a much more
modest 2 percent during this time period (Pach et al.
2002).
Despite a nationwide economic recession, wealth
distributions in the District became more polarized
during 2002. Buoyed by the draw of potential income
from service employment, government spending, and
an established technology industry, measures of
wealth such as median household income ($40,127 in
the District in 1999) increased in the DC metropolitan
region. The percentage of persons living in poverty
also increased in many areas in and around
Washington (Pach et al. 2002). One in five residents
were living in poverty in 1999 (U.S. Census Bureau).
Alcohol abuse costs the District approximately $700
million per year, and illicit drug use costs about $500
million per year. Nearly 1 in 10 residents (approximately
60,000) are addicted to illegal drugs and/or
alcohol. At least one-half (26,000–42,000) of these
individuals have co-occurring substance abuse and
mental health disorders. The DC Household Survey
indicates that first-time drug use occurs at a younger
age in the District than in the rest of the Nation.
Homicides in the District decreased sharply from 248
in 2003 to 198 in 2004. Drugs are still listed as one of
the four most common motives behind these homicides,
along with arguments, retaliation, and robberies.
The major drug problems in the District continue to be
cocaine/crack, marijuana, and heroin. The use and
availability of phencyclidine (PCP) increased from
2000 to 2002 but decreased in 2004. The use of club
drugs like methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
also appears to be decreasing.
Information from the Department of Justice’s National
Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) suggests that
the District has a wide variety of drug transportation
options, including an extensive highway system,
three major airports, and rail and bus systems. While
both NDIC and ethnographic information suggest
that traffickers extensively use all of these options,
Washington appears to be a secondary drug distribution
center; most drugs intended for distribution in
DC are distributed first to larger cities, such as New
1 The authors are affiliated with the Center for Substance Abuse Research, College Park, Maryland. Some background material was taken from
prior CEWG reports.
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005 289