|
Cocaine: Cocaine is readily available throughout Vermont
and is widely abused by illicit drug users. The drug is available in all
quantities from fractional ounces to kilogram quantities. Cocaine traffickers
in Vermont, most often Caucasians, obtain the drug from source areas in
Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. The cocaine is brought into the state
mostly through the use of passenger vehicles; often it is then distributed in
bars. Crack cocaine is not widely available in the state, although there is
limited availability in the areas of Burlington, Rutland and Barre. Crack is
most often distributed by African-American violators who obtain the drug in New
York and Massachusetts.
Heroin: There is widespread availability of heroin in
the state in street/user level quantities. The purity level in the state is
quite high, ranging from 55 to 60 percent. A typical heroin distributor in
Vermont is a heroin user who distributes the drug in order to support his/her
heroin addiction. Heroin is obtained by individuals who travel to source areas
in Massachusetts and New York. The most common method of transport of heroin
between Vermont and source areas is the use of automobiles.
Methamphetamine: There is not a significant
methamphetamine problem in Vermont. No clandestine laboratories have been
seized in Vermont for the past several years; the last clandestine laboratory
was a methamphetamine laboratory which was seized in 1990.
Club Drugs: MDMA (Ecstasy) appears to be widely
available in Vermont, particularly the Burlington area. Until June 2001, MDMA
possession was not a crime under Vermont state statutes. Several
thousand-tablet seizures of MDMA have been made at ports of entry in Vermont.
The seized MDMA, often from Toronto, Canada or Montreal, Canada was destined to
other states in New England. There have not been any reports of widespread
availability of other club drugs such as GHB and ketamine.
Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available in all areas
of Vermont, and it is the drug of choice for illicit drug users.
Marijuana is brought into Vermont from the Southwestern
U.S. through the use of automobiles, campers and tractor-trailers. Another
significant source area for marijuana in the state is Canada. Canadian-based
drug trafficking organizations smuggle high quality hydroponically grown
marijuana from Canada across the U.S./Canada border for distribution in Vermont
and in transit to Massachusetts, New York and other states. The marijuana often
is carried in backpacks across remote areas between the ports of entry;
tractor-trailers containing marijuana loads also transport the drug across the
U.S./Canada border.
In addition to marijuana transported to Vermont,
marijuana continues to be grown within the state. In the past, local growers
maintained large-scale outdoor cultivation operations. However, the current
trend of local marijuana cultivation has changed to small outdoor plots which
can be difficult to detect. Also, indoor grows, to include hydroponic systems,
are maintained on a small scale.
Other Drugs: Vicodin, Fentanyl, oxycodone, Hydrocodone,
methadone, Ritalin, Xanax and Diazepam are the most commonly diverted
pharmaceutical drugs in Vermont. Impaired praticioners are a concern in the
state. |