DEA, Drug Information, Cocaine Price/Purity Analysis

Cocaine Price/Purity Analysis of STRIDE Data

Reporting from multiple sources suggest that since March 2007, cocaine availability in the United States has fallen significantly. Analysis of cocaine purchases submitted for forensic examination corroborate this decline in availability as indicated by an increase in the price per pure gram since December 2006 and a corresponding decrease in average purity.

In August 2007, the Executive Policy & Strategic Planning Staff (ADS), supported by the Statistical Services Section (FRS), analyzed 11,586 domestic cocaine purchases recorded in STRIDE* since April 2005 (523.4 kilograms, 356.6 kilograms pure). The results of this analysis show that since December 2006, cocaine prices have increased, while purity has declined.

From January through June 2007, the average price per pure gram of all domestic cocaine purchases increased 24 per cent, from $95.89 to $118.70, while purity fell 11 per cent, from 67 per cent to 59 per cent.
From January through June 2007, the retail (involving amounts up to ten grams) price per pure gram of cocaine increased 15 per cent, from $145.42 to $166.90.
From January through June 2007, the mid-level wholesale (involving amounts between one and ten ounces) price per pure gram of cocaine increased 33 per cent, from $53.09 to $70.39.
From January through June 2007, the wholesale (involving amounts of one kilogram or more) price per pure gram of cocaine increased 11 per cent, from $20.85 to $23.04.

To corroborate the above STRIDE findings, ADS also examined National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) data and identified 6,613 cocaine purchases/seizures wherein, from January through June 2007, purity also fell, by six per cent, from 56 to 53 per cent.

Additionally, since 2000, Quest Diagnostics drug test positives for cocaine have hovered consistently in the 0.70 to 0.75 per cent range until 2007, when positives fell to 0.58 per cent during the first six months, a 15.9 per cent decrease from CY 2006.