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Cocaine: Cocaine is available; however, it is not the
preferred drug with most drug abusers in the state. Heroin and methamphetamine
continue to be preferred by most drug abusers.
Heroin: Mexican black tar and brown heroin are the
primary types of heroin distributed throughout Oregon, controlled by Hispanic
poly-drug trafficking organizations. Heroin continues to be shipped from Mexico
by a variety of methods, primarily by vehicles with hidden compartments. Heroin
typically is transported overland to Portland via the Interstate 5 corridor
from source cities in Mexico through traffickers in California. Many of the
Hispanic traffickers belong to extended Mexican families from regions such as
Nayarit and Michoacan, where traffickers use their familial contacts in Mexico
and California to smuggle heroin into the state. These organizations also
traffic in cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana (of Mexican origin).
Methamphetamine Methamphetamine is one of the most
widely abused controlled substances in Oregon. Two "varieties" are generally
encountered: Mexican methamphetamine, which is either manufactured locally or
obtained from sources in Mexico, California or other Southwest Border states,
and methamphetamine which is produced locally by area violators. Of the two
types, Mexican methamphetamine continues to flood the market. Methamphetamine
is available in multi-pound amounts throughout western Oregon, and smaller
quantities are available in Eastern Oregon. Canadian pseudoephedrine, utilized
in the manufacture of methamphetamine, is frequently seized at clandestine
laboratory sites.
Club Drugs: MDMA (Ecstasy) is available throughout the
state, and multi-kilogram seizures are common. It is accessible in varying
quantities in the larger cities and on college campuses, as well as outlying
areas. GHB laboratories have been seized in conjunction with methamphetamine
laboratories. Mexican Ketamine is also smuggled into the state.
Marijuana:Marijuana is readily available in Oregon. The
majority of marijuana available in Portland is cultivated in home grow
operations. Canadian and domestic marijuana in the Portland area is available
in multi pound amounts. Mexican marijuana is present, but not prevalent.
Medicinal Marijuana: In May 1999, Oregon voters approved an initiative that
legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. In April of 2002 the Oregon Board
of Medical Examiners suspended the license of one doctor who had approved at
least 50% of the medical marijuana applications in Oregon, eight times more
than any other licensed doctor. Mexican grown marijuana is transported using
existing heroin and methamphetamine distribution routes and methods. It is
typically transported overland via Interstate 5 and U.S. Highway 101 in western
Oregon. Traffickers typically use passenger vehicles fitted with hidden
compartments or attempt to otherwise conceal the drugs within the vehicle.
Canadian marijuana smugglers use passenger vehicles, fishing vessels, private
aircraft (fixed wing and helicopters), and "mules" to smuggle the drug into the
state. Traffickers take advantage of rural airfields to smuggle large
quantities of marijuana.
Other Drugs: The most commonly abused pharmaceutical
drugs in the state are hydrocodone (Vicodin) and benzodiazepines (Xanax and
Klonopin). Soma is a Schedule IV controlled drug in Oregon and is often used in
combination with narcotic analgesics. The most prevalent methods of diversion
are pharmacy theft and fraudulent prescriptions. |