Marijuana: The Perception
How do Pulse Check sources
perceive the marijuana problem
in their communities? Baltimore
and Washington, DC, are the only
two cities where no Pulse Check
source names marijuana as their community's
most widely abused drug. In
the other 19 Pulse Check cities, 30
law enforcement, epidemiologic,
ethnographic, and
non-methadone
treatment sources
indeed name
marijuana as such.
Interestingly,
Washington, DC, is
the only city where
a source (law
enforcement) considers
marijuana to
be the drug with
the most serious
consequences.
However, an
additional 10
sources in 9
cities (Billings,
Birmingham,
Denver, Detroit,
Los Angeles,
Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, and Sioux Falls) name
marijuana as the drug related to the
second most serious consequences.
Has the perception of the marijuana
problem changed between
fall 2000 and spring 2001? No
sources report any change in their
perception of marijuana as a widely
abused drug or as a drug related to
serious consequences in their communities.
Three sources, however,
perceive that marijuana has been
replaced by another drug contributing
to the second most serious consequences in their communities: the
Birmingham law enforcement source believes that the diversion and abuse
of prescription drugs have replaced
marijuana, the Columbia (SC) nonmethadone
treatment source believes
that LSD has done so, and the Sioux
Falls epidemiologic source believes
that club drugs have done so.
MARIJUANA: THE DRUG
How available is marijuana
across the country and what
type of marijuana is available?
(Exhibits 1 and 2) Similar to reports
in the last Pulse Check, nearly all (39
of 41) epidemiologic, ethnographic,
and law enforcement sources who
discussed this question consider marijuana
to be widely available in their
communities. The two exceptions are
in Boston and Chicago, where one
source in each city describes the drug
as somewhat available.
The types of marijuana, compared
with marijuana in general, vary more
in availability as perceived by the
Pulse Check sources knowledgeable
on the subject. The most common
variety is locally produced commercial
-grade marijuana, ranked as widely
available by 24 law enforcement,
epidemiologic, and ethnographic
sources in all but 3 of the 21 Pulse
Check cities:
Birmingham,
Detroit, and St.
Louis. Six sources
describe local
commercialgrade
marijuana as somewhat
available,
three describe it as
not very available,
and two (in El
Paso and Washington,
DC) consider
it not available
at all.
Sinsemilla, or the
seedless variety of
marijuana, is the
second most common
variety
reported in Pulse
Check cities, cited as widely available by 13 law enforcement,
epidemiologic, and ethnographic
sources in 10 cities spanning
all regions of the country: Boston,
New York, and Portland (ME) in the
Northeast; El Paso and Miami in the
South; Detroit and St. Louis in the
Midwest; and Billings, Honolulu, and
Seattle in the West. Another 13
sources in 10 cities describe sinsemilla
as somewhat available, 8 sources in
7 cities report it as not very available,
and only 1 source (in El Paso) says it
is not available at all.
Exhibit 1.
How available is marijuana across the 21 Pulse Check cities?* *The Columbia (SC) epidemiologic source did not provide this information.
Back to Exhibits Exhibit 2.
What varieties of marijuana are described as "widely" or "somewhat"
available across the 21 Pulse Check cities? How has availability changed
(fall 2000 vs spring 2001)?* Sources: Law enforcement (L) and epidemiologic/ethnographic (E) respondents Back to Exhibits Mexican commercial-grade marijuana
is as available as sinsemilla, with wide
availability cited by 13 sources in 10
cities: Boston and New York in the
Northeast; Columbia (SC), El Paso,
and Memphis in the South; Detroit in
the Midwest; and Billings, Denver,
Los Angeles, and Seattle in the West.
It is described as somewhat available
by another 12 sources across all the
regions, not very available by 6
sources, and not available by 3
sources (in New York, New Orleans,
and Washington, DC).
Hydroponically grown marijuana is
considered widely available by eight
sources in seven cities, all either in
the Northeast or the South: all four
law enforcement sources in the
Northeast; both sources in Washington,
DC; and the law enforcement
sources in Miami and New Orleans.
Another 13 sources in 11 cities
describe hydroponic marijuana as
somewhat available, 9 sources in 9
cities rate it as not very available, and
3 law enforcement sources梚n
Baltimore, Billings, and El Paso梒onsider it not available at all.
As reported in the last Pulse Check, of
all the marijuana varieties discussed,
British Columbian ("BC bud") is least
commonly considered widely available,
with only four sources reporting
it as such. Two are in the Northeast
(New York and Philadelphia), one is
in the South (El Paso), and one is in
the West (Billings). An additional 7
sources in 6 cities give it a somewhat
available rating, 8 sources in 7 cities
consider it not very available, and it is
not available at all according to 10
sources in 8 cities: Boston in the
Northeast; Baltimore, El Paso,
Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, and
Washington, DC, in the South; and
Detroit in the Midwest.
It is important to note that in some
cases, the different varieties of
marijuana can overlap. In Seattle, for
example, the categories of "sinsemilla,"
"locally grown," and "hydroponic" are
synonymous: the most common form
available is locally grown hydroponic
sinsemilla.
Has marijuana availability
changed? (Exhibit 3) Marijuana
availability remained stable at high
levels between fall 2000 and spring
2001, according to the majority of
Pulse Checksources who discussed
this question (18 of 20 law enforcement
sources and 16 of 19 epidemiologic
and ethnographic sources). The
two law enforcement exceptions are
in Baltimore and Sioux Falls, where
increased availability appears driven
by increases in local commercial
grades. The three exceptions among
epidemiologic and ethnographic
sources are increases in Boston,
Denver (where both local and
Mexican commercial grades have
increased in supply), and New
York (where an increase in local commercial-grade marijuana is
noted). No sources report declines in
overall marijuana availability.
In some sites where overall availability
is stable at high levels, some shifts
are reported for specific varieties. For
example, the Birmingham law
enforcement source reports declining
availability for three varieties:
Mexican commercial, BC bud, and
hydroponic marijuana.
Conversely, the Honolulu law
enforcement source reports
increasing availability for
three varieties: local commercial
grade, sinsemilla,
and BC bud. Several sources
report increases in hydroponic
marijuana availability: the
epidemiologic source in St. Louis
and the law enforcement sources
in Chicago, Miami, and
Washington, DC. The St. Louis epidemiologic
source also reports periodic
rumors, thus far unconfirmed, of
the emergence of BC bud. And the
Miami epidemiologic source reports
that two varieties have increased in
supply: sinsemilla and Jamaican.
Exhibit 3.
How has marijuana availability
changed (fall 2000 vs spring
2001)?* L Law enforcement respondents Back to Exhibits How potent is marijuana across
the country and how has potency
changed? (Exhibit 4) Marijuana
potency ranges from 1�percent
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for
Mexican commercial-grade marijuana
in Detroit to 15� percent THC for
sinsemilla in Honolulu, according to
reporting law enforcement, epidemiologic,
and ethnographic sources. Since
the last Pulse Check, potency levels
remained relatively stable in most
reporting cities, except in Memphis,
where potency for commercial-grade
(domestic and Mexican) marijuana
increased, and in Portland (ME),
where potency of marijuana in general
has increased.
Exhibit 4.
How much does marijuana cost in 19 Pulse Check cities?*
Sources: Law enforcement, epidemiologic, and ethnographic respondents Back to Exhibits What are street-level marijuana
prices across the country and
have they changed since the last
reporting period? (Exhibit 4)
According to law enforcement,
epidemiologic, and ethnographic
sources, commercial-grade marijuana
(Mexican or domestic) ounce prices
are generally in the $100�$200
range, except in Memphis, where a
$25 price is reported. Sinsemilla tends to be more expensive, as in
Denver, where it sells for $300 per
ounce, although it costs as little as
$80�$100 per ounce in Boston. BC
bud is even more expensive, as in
Denver, where it sells for $500 per
ounce. The highest reported prices,
however, are for hydroponic and
organic marijuana, which sell for
$700�$800 in New York. Joints
and bags of either domestic or
Mexican commercial-grade
marijuana tend to sell for
$5�$10. Since the last
reporting period, prices
have remained relatively
stable in reporting Pulse
Check cities, except in
Seattle, where BC bud
prices declined since the last
reporting period.
According to the Baltimore ethnographic
source, as a new marketing
strategy, marijuana is available in
individual joints, for $2�$3 each,
toward the latter part of the month,
when users' income is lower; then,
early in the following month, it is sold
in $5 and $10 bags. How is marijuana referred to
across the country? (Exhibit 5)
Similar to reports in previous Pulse
Check issues, "grass," "pot," and
"weed" remain common slang terms
for marijuana across Pulse Check
sites. Additionally, as the New York
ethnographic source states, "Brand
names dominate the scene." Such is
also the case in Philadelphia and in
some southern cities, such as
Memphis and Miami. Some of the
more recent names in New York
include "texas tea," "purple haze,"
"arizona," "elo," "hydro," "dro,"
"pellet," "beef and broccoli" (a
combination of hydro and pellet), and
"trees." In Philadelphia, some of the
latest names include "$ signs," "8
ball," "horse heads," and "marijuana
leaf." The Miami epidemiologic
source gives further insight into some
of the other names: for example,
"'kryppy' is short for 'kryptonite'�
because it's THAT strong," and
"killer" is so named "because it's the
worst; it stinks."
How is marijuana packaged and
marketed? As reported in the last
Pulse Check, the most common marijuana
packaging in Pulse Check cities
is plastic zipper or sandwich bags.
Additional packaging includes loose
joints in Baltimore and Portland ME); manilla envelopes, aluminum
foil, and plastic wrap in New York;
plastic coin zipper bags with logos in
Philadelphia; balloons in Denver; and
blunts in Washington, DC. No new
packaging was reported since the last
Pulse Check.
Sources: Law enforcement, epidemiologic, ethnographic, and treatment respondents
Back to Exhibits MARIJUANA: THE SELLERS
How are street-level marijuana
sellers organized? In most Pulse
Check cities, independent sellers are
the norm, according to law enforcement
respondents. Conversely, in
Portland (ME), where major local
growers organize out-of-State and
local distribution of the drug, most
sellers are organized. In four cities,
independent and organized distribution
networks are mentioned: El
Paso, Los Angeles (where organized
distributors are affiliated with
Mexican cartels), St. Louis, and
Seattle. Epidemiologic and ethnographic
respondents report organized
distribution networks more frequently
than do their law enforcement counterparts:
most marijuana sellers are
organized in Baltimore, Denver
(where they are Mexican nationals),
Detroit, El Paso, Honolulu (where
they are loosely organized groups of
two to three "runners" and often
affiliated with Mexican nationals),
and New Orleans (where they are
organized loosely). Additionally, the
epidemiologic sources in Chicago and
St. Louis report marijuana sellers as
both organized and independent.
How is street-level marijuana
sold? Marijuana distribution methods
continue to vary widely. All (21)
law enforcement respondents report
marijuana as sold hand-to-hand
through acquaintance networks; most
also report the use of beepers and
delivery-type services. Epidemiologic
respondents also report hand-to-hand
sales, and most report that these sales
occur via acquaintance networks.
Moreover, beeper and cell phone use
is also reported by epidemiologic
sources in Chicago, El Paso,
Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New
York, and Sioux Falls, and deliverytype
methods are reported in Birmingham, Chicago, Denver, El
Paso, Miami, New York, and
Washington, DC. Additionally, in
New York, marijuana is often
delivered to offices, and in
Philadelphia, it is sold primarily
hand-to-hand on street corners.
How have marijuana sellers and sales changed (fall 2000 vs spring
2001)?
The marijuana sales scene has remained relatively stable since the lastPulse Check
report. Only a few changes are reported, with no discernible regional trends: How old are street-level marijuana sellers? Marijuana sellers are predominantly
young adults (18� years), according to most law enforcement, epidemiologic,
and ethnographic respondents across Pulse Check sites, but
ages vary widely. For example, all age groups are equally likely to
sell the drug in Billings, Memphis, and Portland (ME), according to
law enforcement sources there. The Baltimore law enforcement and epidemiologic
sources report adolescents (13� years) as the predominant sellers,
and they are split evenly between adolescents and young adults, according
to five sources: the law enforcement sources in Birmingham, Los Angeles,
and New Orleans; and the epidemiologic sources in Chicago and Detroit.
As in many other cities, Memphis has a wide diversity in the age of
sellers: marijuana sellers there are predominantly young adults, but
some are as young as preadolescents (<13 years), according to the
epidemiologic source.
What other drugs do marijuana
dealers sell? According to 11 of 21
law enforcement sources, marijuana
sellers sell other drugs, most commonly
(and as reported in the last
Pulse Check) crack and powder
cocaine (in Birmingham, Columbia
[SC], Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles,
New York, and St. Louis). Additionally,
methamphetamine is sold with
marijuana in Billings, Honolulu, and
Memphis; ecstasy in Honolulu,
Miami, and New York; heroin in
New York; and PCP in New Orleans.
Marijuana sellers typically do not sell
other drugs in Baltimore, Boston,
Chicago, Denver, El Paso, Philadelphia,
Portland (ME), Seattle, Sioux
Falls, and Washington, DC.
Similarly, according to 8 of 14
epidemiologic and ethnographic
respondents, marijuana sellers
typically sell other drugs, including
crack cocaine in five cities (Denver,
Detroit, New Orleans, New York, and
St. Louis), heroin in four cities
(Baltimore, Denver, New York, and
St. Louis), powder cocaine in two
cities (Denver and New York), and
methamphetamine in Denver. In
Memphis, any drug available may be
sold with marijuana. In St. Louis,
many dealers, especially those affiliated
with gangs, run a "one-stop shop,"
selling heroin, crack, and marijuana,
as reported in earlier sections.
Do marijuana sellers use their
own drug? As reported in the last
Pulse Check, according to nearly all
law enforcement and epidemiologic
respondents, marijuana sellers are
very likely to use the drug. Only the
Denver and Honolulu epidemiologic
sources report that marijuana sellers
are not very likely to use the drug.
Are street-level marijuana
sellers involved in other crimes?
Nearly all law enforcement, epidemiologic,
and ethnographic respondents
view marijuana sellers as not very
likely or somewhat likely to be
involved in other crimes, although
law enforcement respondents generally
report higher crime levels than
their epidemiologic counterparts. The
most common type of other crime
associated with marijuana sellers is
nonviolent criminal acts, such as
property damage and burglary.
Additionally, gang-related crimes are
mentioned in nine cities (Baltimore,
Birmingham, Detroit, El Paso,
Honolulu, Los Angeles, Memphis, St.
Louis, and Washington, DC), violent
crimes are mentioned in five
(Baltimore, Los Angeles, Memphis, St. Louis, and Washington, DC), and
prostitution is mentioned in three
(Baltimore, El Paso, and Memphis).
Where is marijuana sold?
According to law enforcement, epidemiologic,
and ethnographic respondents,
marijuana sales are widespread.
Most (14 of 21) law enforcement
respondents report that marijuana is
sold in all areas of cities (central, suburban,
and rural), four (in Chicago,
Columbia [SC], Honolulu, and
Washington, DC) report that it is sold
mostly in central city areas, and three
(in Baltimore, Los Angeles, and New
Orleans) report that it is sold in central
city and suburban areas. Similarly,
four epidemiologic sources (in
Birmingham, Denver, St. Louis, and
Washington, DC) report that marijuana
is sold in all areas of cities, four
(in Baltimore, Honolulu, New York,
and Portland [ME]) report that it is
sold primarily in the central city, and
two (in Chicago and Detroit) report
its sale in the central city and suburbs.
Additionally, suburban areas are the
primary sales location in Sioux Falls,
and rural areas are in El Paso, according
to epidemiologic sources.
Marijuana is sold both indoors and
outdoors, according to all (21) law
enforcement sources; epidemiologic
respondents tend to agree. According
to law enforcement respondents,
marijuana is sold in a wide variety of
specific settings, most commonly
streets and inside cars (mentioned by
all sources), public housing developments,
private residences, around
junior high and high schools, and
in nightclubs. Epidemiologic and
ethnographic sources agree that
marijuana is sold in a wide variety
of settings, most commonly private
residences and streets.
MARIJUANA: THE USERS
How old are marijuana users?
(Exhibit 6) As reported in the last
Pulse Check issue, adolescents (13�
years) outnumber the young adult
(18� years) and older adult (>30
years) user groups in eight Pulse
Check cities: Baltimore, Columbia
(SC), Denver, El Paso, Los Angeles,
New Orleans, Portland (ME), and
Sioux Falls (according to epidemiologic
and ethnographic respondents).
Adolescents and young adults are
equally likely to be the predominant
user group in Seattle. Young adults,
however, are named as the largest
group of marijuana users in eight
cities: Billings, Birmingham, Chicago,
Memphis, Miami, Philadelphia, St.
Louis, and Washington, DC. Older
adults are mentioned only in Detroit
(where they equal young adults as the
predominant user group), in Honolulu
(where all three groups are
equally represented), and in Boston.
Since the last Pulse Check reporting
period, the Memphis and Los Angeles
sources note a slight increase among
young adults, and the Boston source
notes an emerging adolescent group,
with an age of initiation typically
between 14 and 16 years. A longer
term trend is noted in Birmingham,
where the young adult group has
been steadily increasing for the past
decade, in tandem with a decrease in
crack use.
In the majority of non-methadone
programs, the clients most likely to
use marijuana are young adults.
Preadolescents, however, are named
as the predominant marijuana user
group in two non-methadone treatment
programs (in Baltimore and
Portland [ME]), and adolescents are
named in another three programs (in
Chicago, Columbia [SC], and Sioux Falls). In the Los Angeles and Seattle
programs, marijuana-using clients are
equally likely to be adolescents and
young adults. Older adults are named
as the predominant group in the
Denver program, they equal young
adults in the El Paso and Philadelphia
programs, and they equal both
younger groups in the St. Louis
program. The Columbia (SC) nonmethadone
treatment source notes
that the age of first use has become
lower since the last Pulse Check
reporting period.
Marijuana-using clients in methadone
programs tend to be older than those
in non-methadone programs: older
adults are named as the predominant
marijuana users in Chicago, Honolulu,
Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, as
well as in one of the Boston programs.
Both young adults and older adults are
the predominant marijuana users in
the El Paso and Portland (ME)
programs. Only in the Birmingham
program are young adults, exclusively,
named as the group most likely to use
marijuana. In the second Boston
methadone program, marijuana users
are equally likely to be adolescents,
young adults, and older adults. The
Pulse Check source at that program
elaborates that methadone clients generally
have been chronic marijuana
users since their adolescence, and that
marijuana tends to be the one drug
they don't give up梥ometimes using it
daily, sometimes several times a day.
According to epidemiologic and ethnographic sources.... According to a Boston treatment source,
methadone clients sometimes use marijuana
daily, sometimes several times a
day, for several possible reasons:
Are there any gender differences
in who uses marijuana? According
to epidemiologic and ethnographic
sources, males are more likely than
females to use marijuana in all but
five Pulse Check cities. In Boston,
Chicago, Portland (ME), Sioux Falls,
and Washington, DC, males and
females are equally likely to do so.
Further breakdowns by age, however,
show different gender distributions.
In Detroit, for example, older marijuana
users tend to be males, but the
emerging adolescent group appears
evenly split between the genders.
Since the last Pulse Check reporting
period, an increase in female marijuana
users has been noted in New
Orleans and Philadelphia.
In the treatment population, more
than in the population described by
epidemiologic and ethnographic
sources, both genders are equally likely
to use marijuana. Such is the case
in 11 non-methadone programs: in all
five cities in the West, in both Sioux
Falls programs, and in Memphis,
Philadelphia, Portland (ME), and
Washington, DC. Males predominate
in the remaining nine programs
where this information was provided.
In the Columbia (SC) program, where
males are the predominant marijuana
users, females have increased since
the last Pulse Check reporting period.
Similarly, in methadone treatment
programs, marijuana users are more
likely to be evenly split between the
two genders (as reported in Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New Orleans,
Portland [ME], and one of the Boston
programs) than to be primarily males
(as in Birmingham, El Paso, Washington,
DC, and the second Boston
program).
Is any racial/ethnic group more
likely to use marijuana? As noted
in the last Pulse Check issue, the
marijuana problem cuts across all
racial/ethnic groups. Nine epidemiologic
and ethnographic respondents
(in Billings, Birmingham, Chicago, El
Paso, Philadelphia, Portland [ME], St.
Louis, Seattle, and Sioux Falls) report
that racial/ethnic distributions are
fairly representative of their respective
cities' populations. White users
are more prominent in the Midwest
(in Detroit, Sioux Falls, and St.
Louis), in the West (in Billings,
Denver, Los Angeles, and Seattle),
and in Memphis, Miami, and
Portland. The Los Angeles epidemiologic
source adds that Whites, who
now trail Hispanics in Los Angeles'
general population distribution, are
nevertheless the most likely to use
marijuana. In Birmingham, Whites
and Blacks are equally likely to use
marijuana. Blacks are more likely
than other racial/ethnic groups to use
marijuana in six cities: Baltimore,
Chicago, Columbia (SC), New
Orleans, Philadelphia, and
Washington, DC. In Honolulu, Asians
are the likeliest to use marijuana, but
they are underrepresented relative to
the general population. While
Hispanics are not Philadelphia's
largest marijuana-using population,
they are overrepresented relative to
the general population. The only
racial/ethnic shift reported by epidemiologic/
ethnographic sources
since the last Pulse Check reporting
period is an increase in White
marijuana users in Memphis.
Similarly, reports from treatment
sources show how the marijuana
problem touches all racial/ethnic
groups. According to non-methadone
treatment sources, marijuana users
are predominantly Whites in 9 programs
(in Billings, Columbia [SC], El
Paso, Los Angeles, Memphis,
Philadelphia, Portland [ME], Seattle,
and Sioux Falls), Blacks in 11 programs
(in Baltimore, Birmingham,
Detroit, El Paso, Los Angeles,
Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, New
York, Philadelphia, and Washington,
DC), Hispanics in 4 programs (in
Chicago, El Paso, Los Angeles, and
Philadelphia), and Asians in 2 programs
(in Honolulu and Los Angeles).
(Sources in El Paso, Los Angeles,
Memphis, and Philadelphia list more
than one group as predominant.) The
Columbia non-methadone treatment
source notes an increase in Black and
Hispanic marijuana users since the
last Pulse Check.
According to methadone treatment
sources, Whites are the predominant
marijuana users in four programs (in
Boston, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and
New Orleans), Blacks in three (in
Birmingham, Chicago, and Washington,
DC), Hispanics in three (in El
Paso, Los Angeles, and New Orleans),
and Asians in the Honolulu program.
(The Honolulu and New Orleans
sources list more than one group.)
Note: In some cities, more than one age group
is named.
Back to Exhibits Is any socioeconomic group
more likely to use marijuana? As
with race/ethnicity, marijuana use
knows no socioeconomic bounds.
Epidemiologic and ethnographic
sources report that all SES groups are
represented relatively evenly among
marijuana users in six Pulse Check
cities: Denver, Detroit, Honolulu,
New Orleans, Portland (ME), and St.
Louis. Middle SES groups are more likely to use marijuana in seven cities
(Billings, Chicago, El Paso, Los
Angeles, Memphis, Miami, and Sioux
Falls), and low SES groups are named
in five (Baltimore, Columbia [SC],
New York, Philadelphia, and
Washington, DC). The Birmingham
source names both low and high SES
groups as the most likely to use marijuana,
and the Seattle source names
low to middle SES groups. No
changes are reported since the last
Pulse Check reporting period.
Non-methadone treatment sources,
however, paint a somewhat different
picture. The majority (in 15 cities)
report that marijuana-using clients in
their programs are likely to come
from low SES backgrounds. Only two
(in Denver and Sioux Falls) name the
middle SES group, and another two
(in El Paso and Los Angeles) name
both the low and middle SES groups.
St. Louis is the only Pulse Check city
where marijuana-using clients are
equally likely to come from all three
(low, middle, and high) SES groups.
According to methadone treatment
sources, low SES groups predominate
in five programs, middle SES groups
in two, and both low and middle SES
groups in one (Boston); New Orleans
is the only city where all three SES
groups are named.
Where do marijuana users tend
to reside? (Exhibit 7) As reported in
the last Pulse Check, marijuana users,
more so than other drug users, reside
"everywhere"梐 term used by
numerous sources to refer to central
city, suburban, and rural places of residence.
Specifically, epidemiologic
and ethnographic sources report all
three locations in nine Pulse Check
cities: Birmingham, El Paso, Miami,
and New Orleans in the South;
Detroit and St. Louis in the Midwest; and Denver, Honolulu, and Seattle in
the West. Suburban residences are
more predominant in Billings, Los
Angeles, and Sioux Falls, and both
suburban and central city residences
are reported in Boston and Chicago.
central city residences are more commonly
reported in the Northeast (in
New York, Philadelphia, and梐long
with rural areas梚n Portland [ME])
and the South (in Baltimore, Columbia
[SC], Memphis, and Washington,
DC). Since the last Pulse Check, the
El Paso epidemiologic source notes an
increase in marijuana users living in
rural areas. That shift, however, is
probably not due to new use: more
likely, it is because more outreach
efforts are reaching those areas.
Marijuana users in non-methadone
treatment programs are likely to live
in central city areas, as reported in 12
Pulse Checkcities (New York and
Philadelphia in the Northeast;
Baltimore, Birmingham, El Paso,
Miami, New Orleans, and Washington,
DC, in the South; Chicago and
Detroit in the Midwest; and Billings,
Denver, and Los Angeles in the West).
They are likely to reside in the suburbs
in Columbia (SC), El Paso,
Portland (ME), and Seattle, while
rural areas predominate in both Sioux
Falls programs. Only in Honolulu and
St. Louis are clients likely to live in
all three types of locations.
According to responding methadone
treatment sources, marijuana users in
six programs reside predominantly in
central city areas (in Birmingham,
Boston, Chicago, El Paso, Portland
[ME], and Washington, DC), those in
Los Angeles live in both central city
and suburban areas, and those in a second
Boston program live in the suburbs.
All three types of locations are
named in Honolulu and New Orleans.
Sources: Epidemiologic and ethnographic
respondents
Note: Some respondents list two areas per city.
Back to Exhibits How do marijuana users wind up
in treatment? (Exhibit 8) The vast
majority (17 of 21) of non-methadone
treatment sources report that marijuana
clients at their programs come
mainly from court or criminal justice
referrals. These findings differ from
those in the last Pulse Check in two
ways. First, during the last reporting
period, the number of marijuana
clients exceeded crack and heroin
clients in court or criminal justice
referrals, whereas during the current
period, heroin and crack clients have
slightly surpassed marijuana clients in
this type of referral. Second, the proportions
of clients with criminal justice
referrals have increased for all three
drugs: from less than 50 percent of
responding sources during the last reporting period to more than 80
percent during the current period.
These percentages should be viewed
with caution because the numbers
involved are relatively small and
because we cannot generalize Pulse
Check findings to the general treatment
population. That said, these
findings make sense in light of the
growing legislative trend toward
diverting misdemeanor drug abusers
out of law enforcement and into
treatment.
Comparatively few non-methadone
treatment sources list referral sources
other than courts or the criminal justice
system. Only four list alcohol or
drug abuse health care providers (in
Memphis, Philadelphia, Portland
[ME], and Washington, DC), three
name individual referrals (in El Paso,
Memphis, and Washington, DC),
another three name school referrals
(in Baltimore, Chicago, and Columbia
[SC]), two name employer referrals
(in Honolulu and Washington, DC),
and only one (in Memphis) lists other
health care providers.
Sources: Non-methadone treatment respondents
Back to Exhibits How do marijuana users take
marijuana? Joints seem to be the
most common vehicle for smoking marijuana, as reported by the vast
majority of epidemiologic and ethnographic
respondents. However, blunts
(hollowed-out cigars filled with marijuana)
are more common than joints
in Baltimore and Philadelphia, and
they are nearly as common as joints
in Birmingham, but they are reportedly
becoming passé in that city. In
some cities, different subgroups of
marijuana users prefer different
vehicles for smoking marijuana. In
Boston, for example, central city
residents tend to use blunts, while
suburban residents tend to use joints.
Similarly, in St. Louis, Blacks who live
in the central city tend to use blunts.
Increases in blunt use are reported in
Memphis and New Orleans, although
in the latter city they are not referred
to by that term. Pipes and "bongs"
are other vehicles for smoking
marijuana, as reported in Denver,
Miami, and Seattle.
Non-methadone treatment sources
report blunts as the predominant
vehicle more often than epidemiologic
and ethnographic sources. Such
is the case in nine programs: in
Baltimore, Chicago, Columbia (SC), El
Paso, Honolulu, New Orleans, Seattle,
Sioux Falls, and Washington, DC.
Additionally, marijuana users in
Birmingham, Boston, Los Angeles,
Memphis, and the second Sioux Falls
program are equally likely to use blunts
and joints. Joints are more common in
Billings, Detroit, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, and Portland (ME). Most
clients in Denver, and some in Los
Angeles and Sioux Falls, tend to smoke
marijuana in pipes.
Eight out of nine methadone treatment
respondents report that their
clients smoke marijuana in joints (in
Boston, Chicago, El Paso, Honolulu,
Los Angeles, New Orleans, Portland
[ME], and Washington, DC). In a
second Boston program, however,
marijuana smokers are equally likely
to use joints, blunts, and bongs.
What other drugs do marijuana
users take? (Exhibit 9) According
to epidemiologic and ethnographic
sources, marijuana users often also
use crack, sometimes sequentially and
sometimes in combination, particularly
throughout the Northeast (in Boston,
New York, and Philadelphia), the
South (in Birmingham, Columbia [SC],
El Paso, Memphis, and Washington,
DC), and the Midwest (in Chicago,
Detroit, and St. Louis). Powder cocaine
is sometimes used with marijuana in
Memphis, Miami, and Philadelphia.
The Boston ethnographic source hears
occasional reports about marijuana
being mixed with both heroin and
cocaine, but has not personally
observed such cases. As that source
notes, "Heroin users tend not to use
marijuana because they have to be on
their toes too much." In Philadelphia,
some users occasionally crumble and
sprinkle the diverted prescription
drug alprazolam (Xanax�) onto
marijuana; others sometimes mix
honey into marijuana to add flavor
and "slow the burn." In Miami, marijuana is taken with ecstasy, and
in Memphis, marijuana is laced with
methamphetamine or amphetamine梐 combination that has increased
since the last reporting period. PCP
lacing or dipping is reported in
Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, New
Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and
Washington, DC. The PCP combination
in Honolulu is a recent development.
Elsewhere in the West, the only
other drugs mentioned are embalming
fluid in Seattle, and club drugs (ecstasy,
LSD, and GHB) in Los Angeles.
According to the Los Angeles epidemiologic
source, "Marijuana is not always
the precursor to other drug use: now, it
sometimes follows club drug use. Some
'rave kids' start by using GHB, then
move on to ecstasy, and subsequently
end up using marijuana. Some of
these users have never even smoked
cigarettes."
Sources: Epidemiologic, ethnographic, and treatment provider respondents
Back to Exhibits Marijuana users in several nonmethadone
treatment programs also
take crack. Such reports, like those of
epidemiologic and ethnographic
sources, occur in the South (in Miami, New Orleans, and
Washington, DC) and in the Midwest
(in Detroit and Sioux Falls). Unlike
epidemiologic and ethnographic
reports, no crack use is noted in the
Northeast, but two reports emanate
from the West (in Billings and
Seattle). Marijuana clients in
Birmingham, Chicago, Columbia
(SC), El Paso, and Los Angeles use
powder cocaine. The Birmingham
source notes that sometimes the dealer
laces the marijuana with cocaine,
but with the user's knowledge. PCP
use is noted among marijuana clients
in Billings, Chicago, Memphis,
Miami, Portland (ME), and
Washington, DC. In Billings and
Chicago, embalming fluid is sometimes
added to the marijuana-PCP
mixture. Embalming fluid is also
mentioned in Birmingham, where
some clients soak marijuana in the
substance. Marijuana clients in
Billings and Sioux Falls sometimes use
methamphetamine. Heroin is mentioned
only in Philadelphia and St.
Louis, but the St. Louis source notes
that "Most marijuana users don't use
anything else but alcohol. On the
other hand, most hardcore drug users
also smoke marijuana."
In methadone treatment programs,
some marijuana clients use crack in
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New
Orleans. The El Paso source notes
that some dealers lace marijuana with
heroin or cocaine but that the users
are not aware of this practice until
they are tested at the clinic. The
Honolulu source notes a decline in
the number of combinations.
Where and with whom is marijuana
used? As reported in the last
Pulse Check, many epidemiologic and
ethnographic sources use the word
"everywhere" to describe the settings
and contexts of marijuana use. Of 20
sources who discussed this question,
11 report that users are equally likely
to smoke the drug both indoors and
outdoors, 12 assert that users tend to
use it in groups or among friends,
and 9 report that users are equally
likely to smoke marijuana both in
public and in private. Solo use and
group use are equally likely in eight
cities. For example, in Boston, users
report smoking marijuana while alone
as a sleep aid or sexual stimulant.
However, in no city does any source
report that solo use is predominant.
The specific settings are as varied as
the possibilities梖rom concerts in
Philadelphia to the workplace in St.
Louis, from festivals in Denver to
outside supermarkets and shopping
malls in El Paso, from before and
after raves in Miami to around junior
high and high schools in 10 Pulse
Check cities.
Similarly, non-methadone treatment
sources frequently report that
marijuana users are equally likely to
smoke the drug indoors and outdoors,
and the majority reports that
users tend to smoke the drug in
groups or among friends. These
sources, however, are about equally divided on the question of public
versus private use: clients in Baltimore,
Billings, Chicago, Columbia
(SC), Honolulu, New York, and
Washington, DC, tend to smoke
marijuana in public; clients in
Birmingham, Detroit, Memphis,
Miami, New Orleans, Portland (ME),
St. Louis, and Sioux Falls tend to do
so in private; and clients in Denver,
El Paso, Los Angeles, and Seattle are
equally likely to smoke marijuana in
public and in private.
Marijuana users in methadone
programs, however, have much more
discrete use patterns than their counterparts
in non-methadone treatment.
In the majority of reporting programs,
users prefer to smoke marijuana
indoors rather than outdoors, and in
private rather than in public. These
clients, however, still retain the social
aspect of marijuana use: no methadone
treatment sources report that
solo use is predominant over use in
groups or among friends.
MARIJUANA: THE COMMUNITY
What is the impact of and
community reaction to the marijuana
problem?
Widely available
Somewhat available
* Arrows indicate up, down, or stable trends. Absence of an arrow indicates that respondent did
not provide trend information.
**While both Birmingham sources noted marijuana as widely available, neither rated the
different varieties.
E Epidemiologic/ethnographic respondents
*The Boston and Columbia (SC) epidemiologic
sources and the Memphis law enforcement
source did not provide that information.
City
Type
Unit
Price
Purity
(%THC)
Boston, MA
Sinsemilla
1 oz
$80�$100
NR
New
York, NY
NR
Bag
$10
NR
Hydroponic
and organic
1 oz
$700�$800
NR
Philadelphia,
PA
Local commercial
1 oz
$150�$200
NR
Portland,
ME
NR
1 oz
$175
NR
Baltimore,
MD
NR
Bag
$5�$10
NR
Birmingham,
AL
NR
1 gm (joint)
$10
NR
Columbia,
SC
Local or
Mexican commercial
3�gm
$10
NR
El Paso,
TX
Mexican commercial
1/4 oz
$20
NR
Memphis,
TN
Local commercial
1 oz
$25
5�
NR
1/4 oz
$25�$30
NR
Miami, FL
Sinsemilla
1/4 oz
$100
10�%
Sinsemilla
Bag
$750�$1,200
NR
New Orleans, LA
Domestic
commercial
Joint
$5�$10
NR
Washington,
DC
Local or
Mexican commercial
1/4 oz
$25�$75
NR
Local or
Mexican commercial
750 mg bag
$20
NR
Chicago,
IL
Local or
Mexican commercial
Bag
$5�$10
NR
Detroit,
MI
Mexican commercial
1 oz
$150�$200
1�
Sioux Falls,
SD
Local commercial
1 oz
$100�$150
NR
Denver,
CO
Local or
Mexican commercial
1 oz
$100�$200
4%
Sinsemilla
1 oz
$300
NR
BC bud
1 oz
$500
4%
Honolulu,
HI
Mexican commercial
Joint
$5
NR
Kona gold
Joint
$20
NR
Sinsemilla
1 gm
$25
15�%
Los Angeles,
CA
Mexican commercial
Joint
$10
4�
Seattle,
WA
BC bud
1 gm
$15�$25
NR
*Respondents in Billings and St. Louis did not provide this information.
"Early-in-the-month" bags?
Then and Now:
Baltimore, MD: Los Angeles, CA: Honolulu, HI, and
New York, NY:
Miami,
FL:
New York, NY: Portland, ME: Washington, DC: How have marijuana users changed across the country (fall 2000 vs spring 2001)?
Several increases are noted
in various age groups: An increase in female marijuana
users is noted in two cities:
Racial/ethnic distributions have
shifted in a few cities: Drug use patterns have changed in
a few cities:
According to treatment sources...
Why do methadone clients take
marijuana?
Marijuana: First drug of abuse?
Marijuana
combined with what drug
Slang Term
City
Marijuana
+ crack
Oolies
Boston
Coolies
New
York Diablitos or turbos
Philadelphia Worties
Washington, DC
Marijuana
dipped in same water used to cook crack
Elo
New York
Marijuana
+ powder cocaine
Primos
Chicago,
El Paso, Los Angeles
Marijuana
+ PCP
Wets
New York,
Philadelphia Love boat
Philadelphia
