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Drug Situation: Marijuana, methamphetamine,
cocaine, diverted pharmaceutical drugs, and cocaine continue to be the primary
drug threats in the state of Kentucky. The Eastern Kentucky region in
particular has been a primary source of marijuana cultivation, especially the
Daniel Boone National Forest. In 2002, 378,036 marijuana plants were eradicated
in Kentucky, according to the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression
Program.
Though Kentucky is the site of large-scale marijuana
cultivation, most of the marijuana produced in the state is exported to markets
in other states, including Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, New York, California,
Texas, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Methamphetamine is a dramatically
increasing threat throughout Kentucky.
Law enforcement authorities in Kentucky see this as an
"exploding" trend much the same as crack cocaine several years ago. Though
methamphetamine manufacturing activity in Kentucky consists mostly of small,
unsophisticated clandestine laboratories producing limited amounts of
methamphetamine, this activity is expected to expand rapidly in the near future
in terms of both the number of labs and their size/sophistication.
After marijuana, cocaine is the primary drug seized in
Kentucky. The limited competition in remote areas makes the small communities
of Eastern Kentucky immensely popular and profitable for cocaine trafficking
organizations from major metropolitan areas. Additionally, urban areas such as
Lexington and Louisville are used as transshipment points for cocaine en route
from the southwest border to markets in the Northeastern U.S.
Finally, counties in eastern Kentucky lead the nation
in terms of grams of narcotic pain medications distributed on a per capita
basis. Aside from marijuana cultivation and trafficking, the trafficking and
illicit usage of prescription drugs in the area may be the most significant
current drug threat facing the residents of Eastern Kentucky. |
