THE DRUG BATTLE

Cocaine Is the Drug Used the Most Locally, but the Use of Heroin Is
Increasing

Despite a noticeable increase in local heroin use, cocaine remains the
drug of choice for Wilmington drug users, New Hanover County Sheriff
Sid Causey said.

Synthetic-type drugs like ecstasy have emerged in the local narcotics
trade in recent years, but investigators have waited years for an
influx of others.

So far, methamphetamine, the powerfully addictive stimulant made in
dangerous, environmentally hazardous laboratories, has not made major
inroads in the local drug market.

"We were looking for it last year," Sheriff Causey said. "From what I
understand, it's all around us."

While he has no explanation for its absence, the sheriff said he
expects it to gain in popularity this year.

Relatively large amounts of the drug would need to hit the streets on
a regular basis before its use would overcome the local consumption
rate of heroin.

Thomas Mathew, medical director of the Tri-County Center for Substance
Abuse Treatment, said the number of heroin addicts in the area has
grown in recent years.

But the potential remains, experts say, because methamphetamine -
known on the streets as speed, crystal meth or crank - is relatively
easy to manufacture and notorious for becoming tough to control once
it enters an area. Sheriff Causey said that to date, only small
amounts of the drug have been purchased locally by narcotics officers.

Nevertheless, two City-County Vice and Narcotics Unit officers were
recently recertified to handle methamphetamine lab busts, Sheriff
Causey said.

Local seizures In the period beginning December 2001 and ending
November 2002, local drug agents seized more than 6 pounds of cocaine,
more than 217 pounds of marijuana and more than 2,500 street bags of
heroin. The bags of heroin are worth about $25 each.

Sheriff Causey said the amount of drugs intercepted nationally by
various law enforcement agencies is just a fraction of what actually
makes it to the streets. He said the Vice and Narcotics Unit has been
successful locally and is in good shape for future undercover sting
operations, which are in the works.

By the end of the 2003 fiscal year the federal government will have
spent more than $19 billion fighting drugs; that's more than $52
million per day, according to the National Drug Control Strategy budget.

The figures include money spent in several areas including new
treatment initiatives and law enforcement.

During the 12-month period in New Hanover County, more than 900 people
were arrested on more than 2,000 drug charges. Officers also seized
more than $630,000, 43 guns, 766 marijuana plants - each valued at
$1,600 based on their sales potential - and millions of miscellaneous
prescription pills such as OxyContin and Percocet, both powerful and
highly addictive opiate derivatives.

Problems, Solutions

While the jury is still out among experts on the role addiction plays
in drug abuse, Dr. Mathew said he believes some addicts are
genetically more likely to have a problem.

And the changes he's seen in those who seek treatment for heroin
addiction in the area is "alarming," Dr. Mathew said.

The area has gone through a marked increase in the number of people in
their 20s and 30s who are addicted to opiates, mainly heroin, but
prescription pain pills, too, he said.

Like marijuana today compared to decades ago, the purity and potency
of the heroin available on the streets is significantly higher than it
was years ago, Dr. Mathew said.

The message about HIV and AIDS transmission through intravenous heroin
use has gotten through to some extent, but it hasn't removed the
likelihood of contracting diseases through risky behaviors that seem
to follow the drug like a shadow.

These days many young people "start out snorting it (heroin)," Dr.
Mathew said. But that makes them addicts quickly and tends to push
them toward high-risk behaviors like unsafe sex, prostitution or
robbing and stealing, Dr. Mathew said. Dr. Mathew didn't hesitate when
asked if the area has an illegal drug problem.

He said the size of the problem compared to the size of Wilmington
surprises him, and "just goes to show, no matter where you go in
America you can find drugs."

But all is not lost, he said. He believes that hope and help is out
there for just about anyone who might need it, but said there needs to
be more money spent on treatment.

North Carolina, like most states, faces a fiscal crunch and is looking
for ways to cut a possible $1 billion budget shortfall. But if the
state cuts the budget for drug treatment, it will have to spend more
money on law enforcement, Dr. Mathew said.

It's a question of helping people rather than sending them to jail, he
said. Dr. Mathew said he's aware of new evidence that would make the
treatment and management of drug addictions more like what's done for
diseases such as diabetes.

But he said the need to change the definition of recovery
remains.

"We need to change the goal posts from the all or nothing approach,"
Dr. Mathew said. "It's a life-long process instead of a one-shot deal."

While Sheriff Causey agrees that money should be spent for drug
treatment or rehabilitation, he said he believes there's a limit to
how much should be spent on repeat offenders.

"You can't treat the same person over and over," the Sheriff
said.

Educating young people about the dangers is key and should be the
first step, he said.