2016 Drug Problems in Wichita

The city of Wichita, located in the state of Kansas, is the state’s largest city. The city had an estimated population of 388,413 in 2014. The number is expected to be more in 2016, of course. The city’s aviation exploits have put it on the map for being the ‘The Air Capital of the World’, being home to the airplane manufacturing plants of major companies such as Airbus and Learjet.

While the aviation industry and other manufacturing sectors in the city continue to thrive, so does another industry, a rather underground industry if you will. We are referring to the city’s drug industry which is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Most Popular Drugs in Wichita

MDMA/Ecstasy/Molly

MDMA (3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) also commonly known as ecstasy, Molly or X is one of the most notorious stimulants and hallucinogens in Wichita. Popular for being a club drug, this drug generally comes in the form of a tablet or a capsule and can be taken orally or crushed and snorted. MDMA is usually sold on the streets or in clubs for $20 to $50 for a single hit. The drug may be purchased in one of either forms, either as a pill, the powder or crystalline form.

Public health officials are concerned about the persistent use of MDMA in the city because of the psychological problems that often plague those abusing the substance. Already 7.3% of high school seniors say they have used the drug at one point in their life. Notable symptoms of the drug include kidney failure, stroke, heart attack and muscle breakdown.

LSD

LSD is another party favorite. It is one of the most common hallucinogens available on the market today. For a mere $30 – $50, users can experience the lasting effects of this drug. This drug is formally referred to as lysergic acid diethylamide and is very popular among the youth because its effects can generally be experienced up to 12 hours later. However, there are consequences of taking the drug which include nausea, insomnia, and tremors. Long-term mental conditions that most users never think about are psychosis and flashbacks.

Cocaine

Buying and selling cocaine is illegal in Wichita and carries a hefty fine, with or without time. However this hasn’t stopped the multitude of drug dealers and buyers on the city’s streets. One kilogram of cocaine can be purchased in Columbia for $1,800 and sold in Wichita for as much as $25,000. If you are caught trafficking drugs, your jail sentence will be anywhere from 10 to 42 months, depending on if it’s your first crime or not.

Heroin

Heroin has become one of the fastest growing drugs to young people who are finding it too expensive to afford pills like Oxycodone, which can sell for as much as $60 – $80 per pill. The easier and cheaper option is to go for heroin, which has garnered a substantial following over the years. One gram of heroin will push you further and hence, drug addicts are prepared to pay $55 for one gram of the powder as opposed to one prescription pill.

Across the city, the average heroin user is just 21 years of age, which is significantly late when you consider that by the age of 12, most children have already been exposed to marijuana, alcohol and prescription drugs from friends at school.

Heroin has overtaken marijuana as the drug of choice for experimenting teenagers.

Prescription Drugs

Trust for America’s Health issued a report in 2015 where it claimed that the overdose rates in the Wichita had increased by four times in the last 12 years. This is a cause for concern. The study laid out what different states are doing to combat the drug problem in their respective jurisdictions and the success or failure rates of each policy carried out.

Executive Director of Trust for America’s Health, Jeffrey Levi, pointed out that with such high death rates amongst Wichita’s youth, and youth across other cities in different states, it was time for those responsible to start putting into place policies and programs that have already been proven as successful.

While the number of 12 to 25 year olds who died per year for every 100,000 is still lower than the national rate at 5.9 deaths per every 100,000, the rate when studied over the last 12 years will show that the rate in Wichita has more than quadrupled. The drugs considered in the study were both illicit and prescription drugs.