CRACK COCAINE DRUG OF CHOICE

Crack cocaine remains the drug of choice in South Mississippi, with
methamphetamine use and prescription drug abuse ranking a close second,
according to state and national statistics.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports in its 2003 profile
of drug use in Mississippi that the majority of the state's cocaine is
coming from Texas and is the most "problematic, high-threat drug for
communities and law enforcement...

Jackson County Narcotics Task Force Capt. Eddie Stewart said agents no
longer point to a specific area as a drug trafficking hot spot.

"We can find cocaine anywhere in our cities, in our communities and in
our unincorporated areas," he said. "It's everywhere."

The methamphetamine abuse is widespread, according to reports, and the
majority of those snorting the drug are white, poor and quickly
overcome by addiction to the drug.

The dangers of using methamphetamine are distinct, with users often
willing to steal to get the money they need to support their habit.

What's worse, officials say, is that methamphetamine can be
manufactured by just about anyone because the majority of its
ingredients, such as suphedrine and lithium batteries, are on sale in
stores throughout the state.

The manufacturing also requires the use of anhydrous ammonia, which
has led to more and more thefts of the dangerous chemical from such
places as seafood plants and boats. The mixture of chemicals are
physically hazardous and require special Haz-Mat teams and law
enforcement to clean them up.

Another drug used by teens and adults alike is marijuana and alcohol,
reports show, which often lead to abuse of other drugs.

Some teens and adults start out drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco
cigarettes only to move on to a growing use of highly potent
prescription painkillers that often lead to deadly overdoses.

In South Mississippi, law enforcement officials are seeing an
increased use of powerful prescription drugs, such as OxyContin (also
known as Oxycodone), Vicodin and Dilaudid along with anti-anxiety
drugs, such as Xanax, and muscle relaxers, such as Soma.

Abusing the prescription drugs are people from all racial and
socioeconomic groups in the state.

And club drugs, such as MDMA (or ecstasy), remain popular among young
adults and teens who often take the drug before going to nightclubs or
all-night parties on college campuses. Also popular among teens is the
use of various inhalants to get high.

Despite increased efforts by law enforcement officials statewide to
fight drug use, the battle continues.

In the last year, for example, the Mississippi Coast Crime Commission
reported a total of 2,890 felony drug arrests in South Mississippi,
with 89 in Waveland, 63 in Bay St. Louis, 136 in Hancock County, 61 in
Pass Christian, 102 in Long Beach, 815 in Gulfport, 966 in Biloxi, 350
in Harrison County, 106 in Ocean Springs, 86 in Gautier, 107 in Moss
Point and 9 in Jackson County. The report does not include the number
of drug arrests in Pascagoula.

The MCCC's report of total drug arrests is only a small sampling of
the number of drug arrests actually made in South Mississippi.

Various local, state and federal agencies also make drug arrests
almost daily in the southern counties. They see a large number of
teens dying young every day because of overdose.

So what's the bottom line? The answer is easy.

"As far as fighting the war on drugs, we are in the battle but unable
to stop it completely," Coastal Narcotics Enforcement Lt. John Miller
said. "That won't happen until the people stop using the drugs. Then,
we truly are going to win the war."