Title:

Virginia Drug Threat Assessment Update

Publication Date: June 2003

Document ID: 2003-S0379VA-001

Original Publication: March 2002

Archived on:  January 1, 2006. This document may contain dated information. It remains available to provide access to historical materials.

This report is a brief update to the Virginia Drug Threat Assessment, which is a strategic assessment of the status and outlook of the drug threat to Virginia. Analytical judgment determined the threat posed by each drug type or category, taking into account the most current quantitative and qualitative information on availability, demand, production or cultivation, transportation, and distribution, as well as the effects of a particular drug on abusers and society as a whole. While NDIC sought to incorporate the latest available information, a time lag often exists between collection and publication of data. NDIC anticipates that this update will be useful to policymakers, law enforcement personnel, and treatment providers at the federal, state, and local levels. 

The Virginia Drug Threat Assessment was produced in March 2002 and is available on NDIC's web site www.usdoj.gov/ndic or by contacting the NDIC dissemination line at 814-532-4541.

Your questions, comments, and suggestions for future subjects are welcome at any time.  Addresses are provided at the end of the page.
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Contents 

Overview

Marijuana

Cocaine

Heroin

Methamphetamine

Other Dangerous Drugs
  Diverted Pharmaceuticals
  MDMA
  PCP

Outlook

Sources

Overview

Virginia.

The distribution and abuse of illicit drugs pose a serious threat to Virginia. The state has a well-developed transportation infrastructure that includes two major north-south interstate highways (Interstates 81 and 95), five international airports, two international seaports, and various forms of public transportation. Although a significant amount of the illicit drugs available in the state are transported overland from New York City or southwestern states, some drugs are transported from other domestic and various foreign locations. Private and rental vehicles are the primary conveyances used to transport illicit drugs into and through Virginia. Commercial vehicles; couriers aboard buses, passenger railcars, and commercial aircraft; and package delivery services also are used to transport illicit drugs into the state.

Cocaine poses one of the most significant drug threats to Virginia because it is readily available, often abused, and violent crime is more frequently associated with the distribution and abuse of crack cocaine than with any other illicit drug. Marijuana is the most widely available and abused illicit drug in Virginia. Low cost, high purity South American heroin poses a serious threat to the state because abuse and availability levels are high, particularly in urban areas. The production, distribution, and abuse of methamphetamine pose a low but increasing threat to Virginia. The availability and abuse of other dangerous drugs, principally diverted pharmaceuticals, MDMA, and PCP, pose a significant drug threat to the state, although the threat is less severe than that associated with cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.

Addresses

National Drug Intelligence Center
319 Washington Street, 5th Floor
Johnstown, PA 15901

Tel. (814) 532-4601
FAX (814) 532-4690
E-mail NDIC.Contacts@usdoj.gov

Tel. (703) 556-8970
FAX (703) 556-7807

Web Addresses

ADNET:  http://ndicosa 
      DOJ:  http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/
      LEO:  home.leo.gov/lesig/ndic/ 

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