Alabama Laws and Programs

Types of Drugs Used

About seven percent of Alabama citizens age 12 and older report using an illicit drug in the past month. Marijuana is the most common drug of abuse in Alabama but law enforcement authorities report that cocaine is widely available throughout the state and the presence of heroin is increasing. Methamphetamine is considered the primary law enforcement drug threat and is generally the pure form known as “ice” rather than meth produced in small local labs.

The number of meth lab incidents reported in Alabama decreased from 404 in 2004 and 276 in 2005 to 193 in 2006. Club drug abuse is reported to be on the rise, with GHB and MDMA the most popular and LSD and ketamine also commonly available on college campuses. Hydrocodone was the most commonly abuse prescription pharmaceutical drug in 2005, with OxyContin and Vicodin also reported as commonly diverted and abused: about 5 percent of residents report non-medical use of pain relievers in the past year, more than any drug except marijuana.

In 2006 there were 14,816 adult arrests and 1,118 juvenile arrests for drug possession in Alabama, both slightly down from 2005 when there were 14,990 adult and 1,160 juvenile arrests for possession. Arrests for sales also showed a decrease for adults: there were 1,202 arrests in 2006 versus 1,676 in 2005. However, juvenile arrests for sales increased from 41 in 2005 to 49 in 2006. The most common substances for which adults were arrested were marijuana (8,430 arrests for possession and 145 arrests for sales in 2006) and opium and cocaine (4,683 arrests for possession and 567 arrests for sales in 2006). These were also the most popular drugs for juveniles: 909 juveniles were arrested for marijuana sales and 14 for marijuana possession in 2006, and 151 for possession and 11 for sales of opium and cocaine.

Laws

Alabama has a Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) intended to curb abuse of prescription drugs such as hydrocodone. Possession of marijuana is a criminal offense in Alabama, although a first-offense possession of a kilo or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor. However, a second offense, possession of more than a kilo, or sale to minors or within three miles of a school is a felony. Alabama law does not differentiate between powder and crack cocaine: possession of either is a Class C felony and trafficking is a Class A felony (specific penalties depend on the amount involved).

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