How does a parent's alcohol or other drug problem affect children? Children of alcoholics are more likely than children in the general population to suffer a variety of physical, mental, and emotional health problems. Similar to maltreatment victims who believe that the abuse is their fault, children of alcoholics feel guilty and responsible for their parent's drinking problem. Both groups of children often have feelings of low self-esteem and failure and suffer from depression and anxiety. It is thought that exposure to violence in both alcohol abusing and child maltreating households increases the likelihood that the children will commit and be recipients of acts of violence. Additionally, the effects of child maltreatment and parental alcohol abuse don't end when the children reach adulthood. Both groups of children are likely to have difficulty with coping and establishing healthy relationships as adults. In addition to suffering from all the effects of living in a household where alcohol or child maltreatment problems exist, children whose parents abuse illicit drugs live with the knowledge that their parents' actions are illegal. While research is in its infancy, clinical evidence shows that children of parents who have problems with illicit drug use may suffer from an inability to trust legitimate authority because of fear of discovery of a parent's illegal habits.

When controlled substances such as MARIJUANA, cocaine, and heroin, as well as INHALANT drugs, were considered, it was found that an estimated 55 percent of respondents had used these drugs on at least once occasion, 42 percent during the year prior to the survey. About 26 percent had taken one or more of these drugs during the month prior to the survey. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse reported that an estimated 34 to 37 percent of the population aged 12 and older had engaged in illicit drug use at lease once: this amounts to about 75 to 81 million drug takers. The number of recently active drug takers was lower; they represented 6 to 7 percent of the population. According to the National Comorbidity Survey estimates, out of every seven persons who had tried marijuana, cocaine, or other controlled substances and inhalant drugs, one had developed drug dependence (14.7%). In light of the fact that about 51 percent of this survey population of 15-to 54-year-olds reported a history of illicit drug use, the resulting estimate for the prevalence of dependence on controlled substances was 7.5 percent. That is, in the total population of individuals (including both drug users and never users), about one in fourteen had fulfilled the criteria for drug dependence.

Misuse of morphine generally entails taking more than prescribed or outside of medical supervision, injecting oral formulations, mixing it with unapproved potentiators such as alcohol, cocaine, and the like, and/or defeating the extended-release mechanism by chewing the tablets or turning into a powder for snorting or preparing injectables. The latter method can be every bit as time-consuming and involved as traditional methods of smoking opium. This and the fact that the liver destroys a large percentage of the drug on the first pass impacts the demand side of the equation for clandestine re-sellers, as many customers are not needle users and may have been disappointed with ingesting the drug orally. As morphine is generally as hard or harder to divert than oxycodone in a lot of cases, morphine in any form is uncommon on the street, although ampoules and phials of morphine injection, pure pharmaceutical morphine powder, and soluble multi-purpose tablets are very popular where available.

The Federal Drug Enforcement Administration announced in April that OxyContin may have played a role in 464 deaths across the Country in 2000 to 2001.

New Jersey has the highest concentration of pharmaceutical and chemical firms in the nation.

Intelligence data received shows that the CRIPS are the most powerful gang in Elizabeth, New Jersey, over the BLOODS who have many more members than the CRIPS.

In the Southern part of New Jersey, there has been a street war between two rival BLOODS sets: Sex, Money, Murder and the Gangster Killer Bloods. This street war has resulted in multiple shootings and assaults in Trenton, New Jersey.

DTOs in New Jersey continue to favor bulk currency shipments. It was recently reported that the size of bulk shipments are decreasing to minimize risk of detection and minimize loss if seized. Money remitters have also been used in New Jersey, with couriers being paid $12.00 for every $1,000.00 sent. Couriers in New Jersey are normally provided with $30,000.00 which is sent out in $1,000.00 increments to 10 to 12 different recipients. The popularity of the $1,000.00 increment for wire transfers and money remitters shows a comfort level of risk has been reached relating to law enforcement suspicion and the appearance of structuring patterns in New Jersey.

It is reported that the BLOODS, CRIPS and LATIN KINGS gangs control the Greater Newark area of New Jersey as follows: the North Newark District (Vailsburg to South Orange) is controlled by the LATIN KINGS; the South Newark District (W. Kinney St., Central Ave. to the Elizabeth border) is controlled by the Bloods; the East Newark District (High St. to the borders of Jersey City and Kearny) are controlled by the CRIPS; and the West Newark District (Martin Luther King Blvd. to Irvington and Hillside) is controlled by the BLOODS. The CRIPS are also prevalent in Irvington, New Jersey.

In 1995 a program was created known as the DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams, or "MET". This was in response to the overwhelming problem of drugs and drug-related crimes across the nation. There have been 19 MET deployments in the State of New Jersey since the inception of the program: Asbury Park, Camden, Paterson, Atlantic City, Lakewood, Passaic, Plainfield, Pleasantville, Trenton, Long Branch, Jersey City, Newark (2), Elizabeth (3), Perth Amboy, Orange, and Asbury Park.