State
Facts Population: 754,844 Law
Enforcement Officers: 1,415 State Prison Population:
2,716 Probation Population: 3,461
Violent Crime Rate National Ranking: 46 |
2001
Federal Drug Seizures Cocaine: 0 kgs.
Heroin: 0 kgs. Methamphetamine: 3.5
kgs. Marijuana: 2.9 kgs. Clandestine
Laboratories: 17 (DEA, state, and local) |
Top 2 cities in South DakotaRapid City Sioux Falls
Drugs and Drug Rehab Centers
Drug Situation: Methamphetamine
abuse of methamphetamine continues to affect the rural areas, as well as the
urban areas, throughout the state of South Dakota. This increased use and
demand for methamphetamine has continued over the past year. Methamphetamine
abuse has come to the attention of the public through an increasingly aware
media, informed public officials from the local to national level, and
concerned citizens. Public efforts are underway by law enforcement,
politicians, social service agencies and the media to further educate the
public as to the dangers of methamphetamine abuse. In addition, marijuana is
readily available in all areas of South Dakota. It continues as the most abused
of the illegal controlled substances. In addition, the controversial issue of
hemp remains a high profile topic. For these and other reasons,
more drug rehab centers are needed.
Cocaine:
Cocaine HCl is readily available throughout all parts of South Dakota. While
the availability of crack cocaine is increasing in eastern South Dakota, crack
abuse is still limited in western sections of the state. The cocaine is
obtained from Mexican sources in Sioux City, Iowa; Kansas City, Missouri; and
California. In addition some distributors in Rapid City, South Dakota, obtain
cocaine from sources in the Denver area. Cocaine abuse and crack abuse account
for an increasing number of individuals seeking drug addiction treatment.
Heroin:Heroin is typically available only in
personal use quantities in South Dakota and is reported by some to be the drug
of choice or to be used as well as other drugs by some upon entry to addiction
treatment centers.
 Methamphetamine: The availability of Mexican
methamphetamine continues to increase throughout South Dakota. Methamphetamine
in eastern South Dakota is obtained from sources in Sioux City, Iowa, or from
sources in western states such as Texas, Arizona, and California.
Methamphetamine is distributed locally by either long-time Caucasian residents
or Hispanic males who have recently moved to South Dakota. Mexican
methamphetamine in western South Dakota is primarily shipped directly from
cities such as Denver, Phoenix, San Francisco, and San Diego using Fed Ex or
UPS. Small toxic labs have steadily increased over the last few years. Local
lab operators are obtaining chemicals at local hardware stores, truck stops,
and department stores. Production capabilities of these small labs are usually
less than one ounce. The stealing of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer from farm
supply stores and farmers has also emerged as a serious problem in this
agricultural state. Methamphetamine abuse is the most significant problem for
many seeking drug addiction treatment.
Club
Drugs:MDMA (Ecstasy) in eastern South Dakota is limited but appears
to be increasing. MDMA is more readily available in western portions of South
Dakota, however, the number of rave parties remains stable. Law enforcement in
Nebraska, South Dakota, western Kansas and in Carbondale, Illinois, all report
limited availability of LSD.
Marijuana: Marijuana is readily available throughout
South Dakota. Multi-hundred pound quantities are transported into the state
from the southwest border of the United States. Smaller quantities are also
shipped via express mail services or purchased from Hispanic males in the Sioux
City area and driven back to Sioux Falls. Higher purity marijuana is produced
in indoor grow operations in the Sioux Falls area, which typically contain less
than 100 plants. Larger indoor operations have been found in the Rapid City
area in western South Dakota, ranging from a few plants to several hundred.
During the past two years, members of the Oglala Sioux Tribe have attempted to
plant fields of hemp on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South
Dakota. On November 5, 2002, South Dakota voters will vote on a ballot
initiative which reads: Any person may plant, cultivate, harvest,
possess, process, transport, sell or buy industrial hemp (cannabis) or any of
its by-products with a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of one percent or
less. Marijuana is reported as a drug of choice or a drug used in
combination with other drugs by individuals entering drug rehab
centers.
Other Drugs:
According to the South Dakota
Department of Health, hydrocodone products, codeine, and Darvocet-N are the
most popular abused pharmaceutical substances in the state. They are obtained
by forged prescriptions and by phony call-ins. The abuse of pharmaceutical
substances accounts for an increasing number of individuals seeking drug
addiction treatment.
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.
Drug Addiction Treatment Necessary:As the problem of drug addiction continues
to grow, it is evident that more effective drug addiction treatment programs
delivered at qualified addiction treatment centers is needed. |