Trends in Drug Use: Spring-Fall 1996
Part III: Marijuana
The market for marijuana appears to be thriving in the areas surveyed in this Pulse Check. Marijuana users are a diverse group, and the drug is highly popular in a variety of social settings. Most sources report that many types of marijuana, both foreign and domestic, can be purchased in their areas, and many users combine marijuana with other drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, or methamphetamine. Sellers are also a diverse group, reflecting the diversity of users. Treatment providers report that clients who cite marijuana as their primary illicit drug of abuse typically also have problems with alcohol.
Ethnographers and Epidemiologic Sources
Marijuana appears to be plentiful in all areas -- eight of the eleven areas contacted report that use is up, and the remaining three report that the market is stable. Marijuana attracts a wide variety of users, of all ages and ethnicities, and its popularity is growing among young (i.e., under 25) users. It is described as a "background drug" by several sources.
Marijuana is usually combined with alcohol, hallucinogens, cocaine, or methamphetamine. In Miami, users roll marijuana and cocaine into a cigarette called "lace" and in Texas and San Diego, it is combined with crack and called a "primo." In Chicago, marijuana is blended with PCP and crack cocaine into cigarettes called "ozones" that are sold for $15. Sources in San Antonio report that along with marijuana, there has been an increase in white, middle class high school kids using club drugs, including Rohypnol.
Sources of marijuana are both foreign and domestic. Mexico is the most commonly named foreign source, but in areas such as New York, marijuana and hashish from all over the world can be purchased. One New York ethnographer notes that marijuana often has a distinct brand name or place of origin that identifies its type and purported quality. Some marijuana dealers also sell hallucinogens, including LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine, and a variety of pills such as tranquilizers, sedatives, and hypnotics.
Marijuana prices vary widely, and this indicates that there are many different types available. In most areas, Mexican marijuana or poor quality domestic marijuana sells for $10-$15 a bag, which yields 2-4 cigarettes. Exotic varieties or sinsemilia can sell for as high as $200-$1,000/ounce. Similarly, the potency (THC content) and purity (amount of unusable herbage mixed in) varies considerably by type.
Large cigar-like marijuana cigarettes, often called "blunts," remain a staple in most areas. In addition, smoking paraphernalia such as pipes and large water cooled "bongs" continue to appear in many areas, indicating a renewed interest in the drug. While such paraphernalia is illegal in many states, it can be marketed as tobacco supplies or simply sold discretely in small bodegas or convenience stores.
Many sources report that there are a wide variety of sellers, while others report that particular groups dominate the market. In Bridgeport, Jamaicans sell larger quantities of the drug, while in San Antonio, Mexicans and African Americans dominate the trade. In New York, dealers are frequently young people who sell in public parks, near schools and in or around clubs frequented by teens and young adults. One New York ethnographer notes an increase in marijuana sales around schools or school activities such as sports events, where students or former students who are currently dealing blend into the atmosphere easily.
All police sources contacted report that marijuana use is stable or rising in their areas. As with the ethnographers’ reports, police describe the user population as diverse, reflecting all ages and ethnicities, though marijuana is particularly popular with the young. Sellers match the demographics of their customers; thus, they too are a diverse group. Miami police report more hydroponically grown domestic marijuana in their area, though the bulk of the marijuana in the area is grown in Mexico or South America.
Street level sales are primarily in one gram bags costing $5 to $10 for ordinary varieties of marijuana, but more exotic varieties (e.g., sinsemilia, Thai, Middle Eastern, Jamaican) can cost up to $500/ounce. The purity of the marijuana is generally related to the price it commands. A police source in New York, however, commented that by labeling it with a foreign name, dealers in the area are able to obtain higher prices for fairly low-quality, domestic marijuana.
The percentage of clients entering treatment with marijuana as their primary drug of abuse rose slightly in this round of calls, though most programs report that this represents no visible change in the overall client mix of reported drug problems. About one-quarter to one-third of marijuana treatment clients are under 20 years old, and they are predominantly white. The majority also has problems with alcohol abuse, but has no prior treatment experience.
