NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

As observed with LSD, PCP ED data showed declines
in Chicago. After a peak in 2000, when 1,003
ED mentions were reported, PCP ED mentions decreased
to 874 in 2001 and to 459 in 2002. Similarly,
ED rates declined between 2001 and 2002 from 15 to
8 (per 100,000), a 48-percent change.
Recent trends in hallucinogen treatment have varied,
but overall the number of episodes in publicly funded
treatment programs in Illinois has been relatively
high, compared with trends in the 1990s. In FY 2003,
472 treatment episodes were reported (exhibit 2).
According to the 2003 ADAM report, the percentage
of adult male arrestees testing positive for PCP decreased
between 2002 and 2003, from 2.2 percent to
1.3 percent. PCP use appears to be more common
among adult female arrestees; 5.6 percent of female
arrestees tested positive for PCP in 2003.
In the study of young non-injecting heroin users, 37
percent of participants reported ever trying LSD,
mescaline, mushrooms, or other hallucinogens, but
only a few (6 percent) reported use in the 6 months
prior to their interview. Among young injectors, 75
percent of participants reported ever trying hallucinogens,
and 32 percent reported use in the 12 months
prior to their interview. Whites were much more
likely than African-Americans to report recent use of
hallucinogens.
Recent reports from young heroin snorters indicate that
PCP use may be more common in this population. Fifty
percent of study participants reported ever trying PCP,
and 14 percent admitted use within 6 months prior to
their interview.
According to the 2002 Illinois Youth Survey, 5 percent
of students in grades 8 through 12 reported lifetime
use of “any hallucinogen” (including LSD and
PCP). This is a considerable decrease in use from
2000 (7 percent) and 1998 (8.5 percent). Further discussion
of the Illinois Youth Survey is provided in
the December 2003 CEWG report.
The amount of PCP samples received by the ISP laboratory
for analysis decreased significantly between
2002 and 2004, from 4.2 kilograms to 0.59 kilograms.
Ethnographic reports on PCP use are available in the
June 2003 Chicago CEWG report. On the West side,
2–3 PCP “sticks” about the size of toothpicks were
reportedly available for $5–$10, according to the
June 2003 CEWG report. Some “wicky sticks” are
said to also include embalming fluid, and these cost
more. Sherm sticks typically are cigarettes or small
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Chicago
cigars dipped in PCP, drained, and dried. The cigarettes—most
often Mores®—are sold for about $20–
$30 each and are mainly available on the far South
Side. PCP was also said to be sold in sugar cubes for
$20 each. Liquid PCP (“water”) was said to sell for
$120 for a vial.
LSD hits typically cost $5–$10. LSD is available in
the city and suburbs.
According to some accounts by White youth, hallucinogenic
mushrooms remain available. Reported
prices were $20–$40 per mushroom.
Club Drugs
In the Chicago area, methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA or ecstasy) continues to be the most
prominently identified of the club drugs and its use
appears to have increased among African-Americans.
Of all the CEWG sites, Chicago had the most MDMA
ED mentions in 2000 (215), but it ranked 10th in 2002
(87). The preliminary unweighted data extracted from
DAWN Live! show 25 reports in 2003 and 56 reports
in 2004. ED reports in 2004 were more common
among male patients (77 percent) and those younger
than 30 (84 percent). ED reports by race/ethnicity were
fairly evenly distributed between African-Americans
(38 percent) and Whites (29 percent), but race/ethnicity
for 23 percent of reports was unknown.
Illinois DASA began reporting treatment data related
to “club drugs” for the first time in FY 2002, when
50 such episodes were reported. In FY 2003, 79 episodes
were reported, of which 63 percent were
among males and 54 percent were among Whites.
Treatment episodes for Chicago alone totaled 23 during
FY 2003, of which 16 (70 percent) were among
African-Americans.
In 2002, the Illinois Youth Survey for the first time
included separate questions regarding MDMA use.
Lifetime and past-year ecstasy use appears to be low
among 8th through 12th grade students (0.6 percent
and 0.4 percent, respectively).
MDMA samples sent to ISP from Cook County have
been decreasing since 2000, when 6.7 kilograms were
analyzed in the State laboratory. However, a recent
increase in MDMA samples sent to the lab was observed
between 2003 and 2004, from 0.8 kilograms
to 3.1 kilograms. Similarly, the NFLIS reported that
0.16 percent of all items analyzed for Chicago were
MDMA in FY 2003. In FY 2004, MDMA accounted
for 0.29 percent of all items sent to the lab.
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005 59