2016 Drug Trends for Long Beach, CA

As of 2014, Long Beach, California had a population of 473,577. Long Beach is a pleasant city to live in and is a hub of activity thanks to the busy ports. The city enjoys great weather throughout the year. However despite its sunny appearance, Long Beach has been battling drug addiction for many years now. The problem keeps increasing and authorities are doing their best to combat the drug addiction scourge that has claimed so many lives already.

Drug Abuse in Long Beach, California

Of the 473,000 people living in the city, approximately 44,694 are regular drug users, with the majority of them using drugs in quantities that would classify them as drug addicts. Most of these people have admitted to using mostly illicit drugs bought off the street or from a friend’s friends.

The number of hospital emergency drug related admissions for 2015 can be summarized according to drug as follows:

A breakdown of the figures of drug users in Long Beach according to usdrugtrends.com looks like this:

Alcohol

7,062 people are regular alcohol consumers and also combine alcohol with other drugs. The number of deaths associated with alcohol consumption is rising.

The number of drunk driver cases has also been on the increase in recent years, with many people being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Marijuana

6,749 people abuse marijuana in Long Beach. Since the legalization of medical marijuana, the substance is now easily available to most residents. Doctor shopping, whereby drug addicts hop from doctor to doctor getting prescriptions to purchase marijuana legally in dispensaries is not uncommon. In fact it is one of the key issues that is being discussed by local authorities.

Heroin

Heroin, along with other opiates, is not new to the drug scene in Long Beach, California. In fact 1.18% of the population is addicted to the opiate. That’s more than 5,000 people. Heroin is popular in the city because of its relative ease of access and affordability. 50 mg of heroin usually sets someone back $10, and one gram will cost a person $150-$300. Black Tar Heroin sells for around $10 for one hit. Prices are always dependent on so many factors such as who is selling, the grade and purity of the drug and its origin.

Crack cocaine

Cocaine in rock-form, known as crack cocaine is another drug that many residents are addicted to. It’s a drug that 3,441 drug abusers in Long Beach cannot live without.

Prescription Medicine

Prescription opiates (excluding heroin) have also started to gather their own following in the city. From the 44,000 drug addicts in the city, 1,430 of them abuse prescription medicine. Top of the list of prescription drugs most commonly abused are OxyContin and Percocet. Sadly, children aged 12 and 17 are also being swallowed up by the drug world and have begun experimenting with prescription drugs. A survey carried out by Youth Survey showed that most children and teenagers are exposed to prescription medication at home and at school. Those who said they had gone further and actually taken the drugs had received them or bought them from someone whom they knew, like a friend.

Powdered Cocaine

Powdered cocaine is favored by 1,341 individuals in the city. It is the drug of choice for this group of individuals. One eighth of an ounce can be bought off the streets for $150-$200.

Tranquilizers & Sedatives

Tranquilizers haven’t got too much of a following but still affect 89 hardcore individuals in the city. Sedatives are another group of drugs that may not be as popular but have had several people die due to overdosing on them. The statistic for Long Beach is that 50 people are addicted to sedatives in the city.

PCP & Hallucinogens

Forty-nine individuals in the city are highly addicted to PCP according to drug reports by the DEA. Hallucinogens are drugs that cause someone to have unrealistic visions and alter a person’s state of mind so that he or she feel like they are no longer a part of this world. Hallucinogens like ecstasy and LSD are favorites among party goers and club goers and usually among the top 3 drugs most commonly found at party scenes.

A further 179 people use one kind of drug or another and could not be placed into any one category.

Recovering Addicts

Recovering from drug addiction doesn’t have to be a lonesome journey thanks to Long Beach’s numerous rehab centers.