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Drug Situation: While cocaine, particularly
"crack" cocaine, is still considered to be the biggest drug threat facing the
state of Mississippi, the increase in methamphetamine abuse and manufacturing
follows closely behind. There has been a steady increase in production of
methamphetamine, which poses a serious threat to abusers, law enforcement
personnel and the public alike.
The drug of choice and most widely abused drug among
consumers in Mississippi is marijuana. Other dangerous drugs (MDMA, LSD, GHB,
Ketamine and Rohypnol) have remained popular among young drug users. Diversion
of pharmaceutical drugs is still of significant concern in Mississippi with
OxyContin abuse continuing to rise.
The movement of illegal drugs into and through
Mississippi has been a significant problem for law enforcement for a number of
years. Mississippi is ideally suited with its interstate system, deepwater and
river ports, and air and rail systems as the "Crossroads of the South" to
facilitate drug movement from the South Texas/Mexico area and Gulf ports to the
entire mid west and eastern seaboard of the United States. Drug trafficking
patterns indicate the interstate highway system to be the preferred method of
transporting illegal drugs into and through Mississippi. With no single agency
having responsibility and no organized, coordinated effort, highway
interdiction is accomplished primarily through fragmented patrols by state and
local law enforcement. |
