Marijuana

           Marijuana is a weed from the family of Cannabis sativa. The plant contains 400 chemicals of which 61 one of the chemicals are not found in any other plant. The main active chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.

             Marijuana is grown throughout the United States mainly in the southern and western states and is also grown in Mexico. Marijuana is normally harvested in the mid- summer to fall. After harvesting, the leaves and flowers of the plant are dried and then packaged.

           In most cases marijuana is grown outdoors but is now being grown indoors in operations called hydroponics where the marijuana is grown in water.

            Marijuana is smoked similar to the way that a cigarette is. Normally the dried leaves are rolled into a cigarette many times being mixed with another narcotic or it is smoked in a device called a bong. Another way that marijuana is smoked by users trying to avoid detection is by hollowing the tobacco out of a cigar and then packing the marijuana back into the cigar. This is called a blunt.

          Street values of marijuana vary depending on how much supply is available. A small bag (one inch by one inch) normally goes for approx. $10.00 and an ounce is approx. $75.00. If the marijuana was grown in hydroponics operations then the price is usually triple due to the operations increasing the level of THC in the plant.   

            Marijuana causes numerous health related problems. Many problems are lung damage and hormone damage in males. One of the most severe effects that marijuana has on the human body is the damage to the brain by clogging up the Neurotransmitters making them inactive. Some street names for marijuana are weed, smoke, joint, and blunt.

        Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant. The coca plant is grown in South America where the leaves of the plant are harvested and then processed through a variety of methods, which is then developed into cocaine paste. The paste is then refined into cocaine powder where it is shipped to the United States and all over the World by drug smugglers.

            Cocaine is a fine white powder. In many cases it may be in a chunk form due to being packed into KELO bricks for shipment. Users will take razor blades etc. to cut the chunks up to make the cocaine into a fine powder.

            Cocaine and crack is taken by smoking it, snorting it through the nose or intravenously injected.

Crack is a cheap form of cocaine which is made by mixing cocaine with baking soda or some other substance, cooking the substance together and then filtering the liquid through a filter (coffee filter) forming a large chunk of crack cocaine called a cookie. Drug dealers will then take the cookie and cut it up into small rocks (approx. the half the size of a small marble) and sell it themselves or distribute it to their runners who sell the product on the street.

            Crack is the most addictive drug and the hardest to break away from. Once you start using cocaine or crack cocaine your body becomes addicted to it. It now has you enslaved. Mothers who use cocaine while pregnant are feeding it directly to their unborn babies who in many cases never survive birth and if they do they are deformed and many never make it. They are born an addict to the drug due to their mother being an addict.

Street names of Cocaine and Crack are Coke, Blow, Snort, Smoke, Rock and Twenty. Street Value of Cocaine and Crack averages around $20.00 for a rock of crack cocaine and a $1,000.00 for an ounce of powder cocaine.

 Methamphetamine is a powerful central nervous system stimulant. Methamphetamine commonly called “Meth” affects the body by working directly on the brain and spinal cord interfering with normal neurotransmission.

The process required to make meth from precursor substance is easier and more accessible than ever. There are literally thousand of recipes for making Meth. Meth is normally made in clandestine labs known as mom and pop operations and can be as large as a room or as small as a shoebox. The cost for cleaning up these labs can be astronomical ranging from approx. $1,000.00to $50,000.00 depending on the size of the lab.

    The ingredients to make meth vary from recipe to recipe. In most cases Meth is made with the following ingredients: Ephedrine or Pseudoephedrine, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, drain cleaner, battery acid, Lithium batteries, lye, lantern fluid, and anhydrous ammonia.

  Meth is fast becoming one of the most wildly abused street drugs in Elbert County and is possible that it will surpass the use of cocaine and marijuana in the near future. It is one of the most dangerous drugs and has claimed the lives of many people from overdosing. One reason is that most of the ingredients to make meth can easily be obtained from the hardware stores and/or drug stores.

Street Names for meth are speed, crank, ice, and zip.  The street value of meth from a gram costing approx. $50.00 to $100.00 and an ounce costing approx. $1,250 to $1,500.00 a ounce. The price varies depending on the supply and demand of the product.  

 Club Drugs

Club Drugs usually refer to drugs commonly called MDMA (Ecstasy), Rohypnol, Ketamine, and LSD. These drugs are usually distributed and used at parties sometimes called RAVE parties. These drugs are also more prevalent in younger adults usually high school age. Most of these drugs have a very mind altering effect on the bran causing seizures and hallucinations.  Just like methamphetamine, these drugs are very dangerous and have claimed the lives of many young adults.

MDMA or Ecstacy, is commonly found in the form of tablet or pill form and many times is distributed at parties sometime call a RAVE Party. The pills are most of time colored and have pictures and other various markings on the pills.

ROHYPNOL, most of it is found in the form of a white pill and is sometimes used as a date rape drug. Can result in a very relaxed state of mind to start off with and then forwarded with incapacity, unconsciousness, coma and amnesia.

KETAMINE also called "Special K", "Vitamin K" is usually a liquid form and is smoked or snorted. Causes a hallucinogenic trance which can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours. It may produce loss of consciousness, seizures, reduced respirations or coma.

LSD: Street name is "acid" which is colorless, tasteless liquid placed in drinks or dropped on a blotter and sucked. It may cause hallucinations, numbness, nausea, sweating, flashbacks or sleeplessness.

GHB: more commonly referred to as the date rape drug. Usually dropped into a drink, it can result in collapse, loss of consciousness, seizures, respiratory depression, or coma.

Prescription Medications 

Prescription medications is becoming a serious problem that is not only affecting adults but teenagers alike. Some of the most abused type prescription medications are OxyContin, Lortab, Valium, Percocet, Vicodin, Zanax to name only a few. Most of theses drugs mentioned are very powerful pain type medication and when abused they become very addictive.

        It is a drug problem that is hard to combat due to the number of people that are on these medications and many times the ones who are on the medication are the ones that are selling the pills.

        Many times we are asked how does these individuals who are prescribed this medication get so many pills to sell. A technique called Doctor Shopping is becoming the problem and pharmacists and doctors are recognizing that this is a serious problem and are taking steps to help law enforcement. Doctor Shopping is where an individual, usually with a problem with pain may have anywhere from 5 to 10 doctors in various counties or in other states where they get the prescriptions from and keep a small portion for themselves and sell the rest. Most of the time individuals selling pills turn a very significant profit on the pills which sell anywhere from $10.00 to $40.00 a pill depending on the type.