Drugs in the United States: New Hampshire

State Facts Population: 1,235,786 Law Enforcement Officers: 2,530 State Prison Population: 2,282 Probation Population: 3,160 Violent Crime Rate National Ranking: 49

2001 Federal Drug Seizures Cocaine: 3.7 kgs. Heroin: 0 kgs. Methamphetamine: 0 kgs. Marijuana: 0 kgs. Clandestine Laboratories: 2 (DEA, state, and local)

Retail quantities of cocaine remain readily in the State of New Hampshire. Dominican narcotics traffickers are the principal distributors of cocaine in the state. Heroin is available in street-level quantities by Dominican narcotics traffickers with New York sources who operate in the Lowell/Lawrence, MA, areas. Marijuana is readily available throughout the state, and it is apparent that marijuana is the predominate drug of choice in the state. New Hampshire has experienced a continued growth in availability of methamphetamine within the state in the past few years, particularly in and around the seacoast area. It is anticipated that this trend will continue.

Cocaine: Cocaine continues to be readily available throughout New Hampshire. Although kilogram quantities of the drug are available, presently cocaine powder and crack are usually encountered in smaller, retail quantities within the state. “Crack” cocaine use and distribution is effected primarily in and around the larger cities of New Hampshire and along the southern border. Dominican narcotics traffickers are currently the principal distributors of cocaine having sources of supply in New York and Lowell/Lawrence, MA. Cocaine availability and prices have remained constant.

Heroin: Heroin is available in street-level quantities in New Hampshire and is distributed by Dominican narcotics traffickers with New York sources who operate in the Lowell/Lawrence, MA, areas. New Hampshire has seen a continued increase of heroin availability along the seacoast and in the southeast region of the state. Heroin prices on the retail level have declined; possibly attributable to the extremely low cost of heroin in the source areas of Lawrence and Lowell, MA.

Methamphetamine: The State of New Hampshire has experienced a continued growth in availability of methamphetamine in the past few years, particularly in and around the Seacoast area. Meth is primarily transported into the state via express mail packages and by common carrier from the West Coast of the United States. Methamphetamine prices have remained stable.

Club Drugs: New Hampshire has seen a rapid increased availability of MDMA (Ecstasy), particularly among students and in association with the rave environment. The majority of the MDMA in the seacoast area of New Hampshire comes from New York City.

Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available throughout New Hampshire, and is the predominant drug of choice in the state. For the past several years, almost all foreign origin marijuana encountered in New Hampshire originated in Mexico with local Caucasian violators traveling weekly or bi-monthly to Arizona and Southern California to obtain 200-300 pound quantities of the drug. The marijuana is usually transported into the state via land vehicle. Marijuana is also being shipped in relatively small quantities (20-50 lb. packages) into the state utilizing U.S. and other mail services. Domestically produced marijuana is also available in New Hampshire, though not as readily in recent years. Because of the rural nature of the state, particularly the northern two thirds, the potential growing areas are limitless and most of the outdoor growers have reduced the size of their plots and increased the variety and scope of their concealment efforts. THC content in excess of 22% has been seen in the state. High potency Canadian grown marijuana, known as BC Bud (because its grown in British Columbia), has recently been sporadically available in New Hampshire. This high potency Canadian-grown marijuana’s THC content can range from 15 percent to as much as 25 percent. In March 2001, The New Hampshire House of Representatives, by a vote of 223 to 101, rejected a bill that would have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. Modeled after a Hawaii law that allows people to possess and use marijuana to provide relief from illnesses, the bill would have limited patients and their caregivers to a supply of three mature and four immature plants. Doctors would have also been ale to advise patients on the benefits of using marijuana in certain cases.

Other Drugs: Much of the diversion problem in New Hampshire involves fraudulent prescriptions, duped doctors, mail order pharmaceuticals, illegal/over dispensing, doctor shopping, and chemically impaired practitioners, etc. Oxycontin is increasing as a pharmaceutical drug of abuse in the state.

DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams: This cooperative program with state and local law enforcement counterparts was conceived in 1995 in response to the overwhelming problem of drug-related violent crime in towns and cities across the nation. There have been 348 deployments completed resulting in 14,794 arrests of violent drug criminals as of June 2002. There has been one MET deployment in New Hampshire since the inception of the program. The MET deployment to Hampton resulted in 20 arrests and the seizure of .6 pounds of cocaine; small amounts of crack cocaine and heroin; 237 Ecstasy pills; and two weapons.

Subscription trials to Health magazines and related pubs: O Magazine Additional Trials: Natural Health Health Men's Fitness Men's Health Advisor Men's Journal

Magazine Shop »