Pulse Check: Trends in Drug Abuse, Mid-Year 2000.

This report serves as a source of information on drug abuse and drug markets. It aims to describe drug-abusing populations; emerging drugs; new routes of administration; varying use patterns; changing demand for treatment; drug-related criminal activity; and shifts in supply and distribution patterns. It is not designed to be used as a law enforcement tool but rather serves as a research report presenting findings on drug use patterns to assist counselors and educators involved in drug education and prevention. It addresses four drugs of serious concern: cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine. This issue focuses on changes between 1999 and 2000 and provides information on the emerging problem of methamphetamine and other club drugs. Data was collected from law enforcement, epidemiologists, and ethnographers. Based on that information, two conclusions were drawn about the current drug situation: (1) an emerging club scene continues to grow across the nation; and (2) heroin has increased in supply; purity; and number of users in some cities. This issue also reflects the latest efforts to enhance the project by expanding study sites, adding new sources for information, and enhancing data collection. (Contains 6 appendixes and 54 exhibits.) (Author/JDM)