Massachusetts Laws and Programs

Massachusetts is a densely populated state with a long seacoast and several interstate highways linking it with other U.S. states, all factors that facilitate drug trafficking. In addition, the small size of many Atlantic Coast states means that transportation across multiple states is commonplace. Marijuana is widely available throughout the state and is supplied primarily from Mexico, although hydroponic marijuana from Canada, marijuana of Colombian and Jamaican origin, and locally grown marijuana is also present in the state.

Cocaine is a primary drug of abuse and is supplied from New York as well as directly from Mexico, Florida, and Georgia. Heroin is also available in both small and large quantities throughout the state, supplied from New York as well as the southwestern United States, the Dominican Republic, and [Page 498]Colombia. Methamphetamine abuse is relatively rare and is primarily found in the form of crystal meth (“ice”) from Mexico (there were no meth lab incidents in Massachusetts in 2007 and only 2 in 2006); use is most common among young adults and within the homosexual community.

MDMA (ecstasy) is the most commonly used club drug in Massachusetts and is transported into the state primarily by Asian drug trafficking organizations via the New York-Vermont border. Small amounts of other club drugs such as ketamine and GHB have also been found in Massachusetts. Diversion of prescription drugs remains a problem, with oxycodone products (e.g., OxyContin), methadone, and Vicodin (hydrocodone and paracetamol) among the most commonly abused. Because Massachusetts maintains electronic records of prescriptions for these drugs they are obtained primarily through theft, Internet purchases, forged prescriptions, doctor shopping and illegal sale and distribution by healthcare workers. Federal drug seizures in Massachusetts in 2007 included 279.2 kilograms of marijuana, 118.8 kilograms of cocaine, 7.1 kilograms of heroin, 5.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 48,340 dosage units of MDMA. In addition, 2,483 cultivated marijuana plants (primarily from outdoor operations) were eradicated under the Drug Enforcement Administration's Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program.