Traffic Safety Resource Program - DEA NFLIS Mid-Year Report

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DEA NFLIS Mid-Year Report

Monday, April 16, 2012 11:36 AM | Anonymous

The DEA National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) systematically collects results from drug chemistry analyses conducted by state and local forensic laboratories across the country. As a national drug forensic laboratory reporting system, NFLIS provides timely and detailed analytical results of drugs seized by law enforcement. It is a unique source of information for monitoring and understanding drug abuse and trafficking in the United States, including the diversion of legally manufactured drugs into illegal markets. Findings from NFLIS can also supplement existing drug data sources, including information from drug demand surveys and drug testing programs. The full report is here.

Highlights

■ From January 2011 through June 2011, an estimated 484,684 distinct drug cases were submitted to State and local laboratories in the United States and analyzed by September 30, 2011 . From these cases, an estimated 827,157 drug reports were identified .

■ Cannabis/THC was the most frequently reported drug (277,291), followed by cocaine (166,001), methamphetamine (78,889), and heroin (56,892) . The four most frequently reported drugs accounted for 70% of all drug reports .

■ Nationally, reports of oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, clonazepam, buprenorphine, and amphetamine increased significantly from the first half of 2001 through the first half of 2011 (p < .05) .

■ Regionally, reports of hydrocodone and clonazepam per 100,000 persons (aged 15 or older) increased significantly in all four U .S . census regions from the first six months of 2001 through the first six months of 2011 . Reports of oxycodone, alprazolam, and amphetamine per 100,000 persons increased significantly in the Midwest, Northeast, and South . Buprenorphine increased significantly in the West, Midwest, and Northeast .

■ More than 72% of narcotic analgesic reports were oxycodone or hydrocodone . Alprazolam accounted for 52% of tranquilizer and depressant reports . MDMA accounted for 32% of hallucinogen reports, and methamphetamine accounted for 83% of stimulant reports .

■ From the first half of 2001 through the first half of 2011, cannabis/THC reports per 100,000 persons increased significantly in the Northeast, but decreased significantly in the remaining three U .S . census regions . Cocaine reports decreased significantly in all U .S . census regions . During this same period, methamphetamine reports decreased significantly in the West and Midwest and

increased significantly in the South . Heroin reports increased significantly in the Midwest . MDMA

reports per 100,000 persons increased significantly in the Midwest, but decreased significantly in the South .

■ Cannabis/THC was the most frequently reported drug in the Midwest (45%), Northeast (34%), and South (30%), and methamphetamine was the most frequently reported drug in the

West (29%) .

■ Nationwide, cannabis/THC, cocaine, and methamphetamine reports exhibited significant decreasing trends between the first six months of 2001 and the first six months of 2011 .