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Drug Situation: Mexican drug trafficking organizations dominate the illicit drug market in Oregon. The state serves as a transshipment point for controlled substances smuggled from Mexico to Washington and Canada. Recent trends show the state is also becoming a transshipment point for controlled substances smuggled from Mexico to various states east of Oregon, such as Montana, Minnesota, Illinois, and New York. Marijuana and MDMA (street name Ecstasy) from Canada also transit Oregon en route to other U.S. locations. While methamphetamine is a significant drug threat in Oregon, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and club drugs are of concern. In 2007, drug prices in Oregon for methamphetamine and cocaine doubled due to enforcement operations in the United States and Mexico that disrupted the supply of these drugs. Drug trafficking organizations in Oregon also engage in money laundering, using a variety of methods to legitimize and reposition illicit proceeds.
Oregon legislators enacted a number of laws aimed at directly reducing methamphetamine availability and local production. In July 2006, products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, precursor chemicals used in methamphetamine manufacturing, became Schedule III controlled substances, available only by prescription. In recent years, legislation restricted sales of pseudoephedrine by limiting sales to licensed pharmacies. In addition, pharmacies are required to maintain a log of purchase transactions and keep products behind a pharmacy counter. Reported clandestine laboratory seizures have been declining, and the local drug market has been increasingly supplied with methamphetamine from other southwestern states and Mexico. Mexican drug trafficking organizations dominate the methamphetamine supply in the Pacific Northwest.
Canada and Mexico are source countries for marijuana; however, large quantities are also locally produced. Cultivations range from simple dirt grows to complex hydroponics operations, controlled by Caucasian, Asian, and Mexican drug trafficking organizations. Large indoor and outdoor growing operations have been discovered on private, state, and forest lands, with plants numbering in the thousands. In the last several years, large outdoor grows operated by Mexican drug trafficking organizations have become more prevalent. These groups are actively cultivating cannabis in remote areas, growing thousands of plants yearly. High potency marijuana from Oregon is distributed locally and to other parts of the United States. Pharmaceutical Diversion: In the United States, prescription drugs are the second most abused drug by youth. The primary methods of diversion of legitimate pharmaceuticals continues to be illegal dispensing and prescribing by physicians, illegal distribution by pharmacists, prescription forgery, doctor shopping, and drug thefts from pharmacies, nursing homes, and hospitals. Pharmacy burglaries are prevalent throughout the state and Diversion Investigators are also encountering pharmaceuticals that have been purchased via the Internet without a doctor's prescription. The abuse and trafficking of oxycodone (OxyContin®, Percocet, Percodan), hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), and anabolic steroids continues to be a concern, while Methadone use has increased dramatically in Oregon.
More information about the Seattle Division Office. Factsheet last updated: 1/2008 |