Maryland is an amazing state with a long past and a wide range of cultures. However, drug trade and abuse are very big problems there, especially in the cities. A new White House assessment identifies one location in particular as the state’s epicenter for drug trafficking: Baltimore
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Baltimore: A Drug Epicenter
Maryland’s largest city, Baltimore, is home to over 600,000 people. It serves as a significant port, a hub for culture, and a popular vacation spot.
However, because of its location along the Interstate 95 corridor, which links New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other cities, it is also a hub for drug usage and trafficking. The Baltimore-Washington International Airport, an entry point for international travel, is also conveniently located in Baltimore.
As to the White House report, Baltimore is included in the federal program known as the “Washington/Baltimore High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)” that unites law enforcement forces to fight drug trafficking in the area.
According to the research, Baltimore is a state-wide hub for the trafficking of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana. It also has a high rate of drug-related violence, overdose deaths, and public health concerns.
The Black Guerrilla Family (BGF), a prison gang that dominates the heroin trade in the city, and the Sinaloa cartel, a Mexican criminal organization that delivers cocaine and fentanyl to the area, are just two of the drug trafficking groups that call Baltimore home, according to the research. To keep their hold on power and influence, these groups frequently resort to intimidation, violence, and corruption.
Drug Statistics in Baltimore
Scary drug figures in Baltimore show how much harm and pain drugs cause in the city. These numbers show that Baltimore has a drug trafficking problem.
The Maryland Department of Health says that in 2020, there were 1,117 deaths in Baltimore caused by drug and alcohol abuse. This was the most of any city or town in Maryland. The amount is 17% more than in 2019 and 72% more than in 2016.
Most of these deaths were caused by opioids, especially fentanyl, a man-made drug that is 50 times stronger than heroin and can kill in small amounts.
There were 1,003 deaths linked to fentanyl in 2020, up 19% from 2019 and up 165% from 2016. Mixing fentanyl with heroin, cocaine, and fake pills is a common way to make them more powerful and make more money.
Other drugs that killed people in Baltimore were cocaine, which was involved in 494 deaths in 2020, up 14% from 2019 and up 93% from 2016. Heroin, which was involved in 216 deaths in 2020, down 9% from 2019, but up 12% from 2016, also killed people.
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Baltimore’s drug problem impacts not only the crime rate but also the city’s health care system and social life. The Baltimore Police Department says that 335 people were killed in 2020, making it the sixth year in a row that there were more than 300 killings.
A lot of these killings were caused by drug fights, turf wars, and getting even. From 2020 to 2021, the Baltimore City Health Department said that 25,000 people shot drugs and 23,000 people had an opioid use problem.
A lot of these people had viruses, illnesses, and mental health problems. The Baltimore Sun says that in 2020, 16,000 children lived in homes where someone used drugs. Many of these children were neglected, abused, or went through traumatic events.
Possible Solutions to Reduce Baltimore’s Drug Trafficking
The government, law enforcement, judges, health care, education, media, community groups, and faith-based organizations are just some of the groups that need to work together and use facts to solve Baltimore’s drug trafficking problem. Here are some of the possible solutions:
- Improving Drug Enforcement: Give law enforcement agencies more tools, help, and information to break up and destroy drug trafficking networks, seize and destroy drugs, and go after and jail drug dealers.
- Improving Drug Prevention: Run prevention programs in schools, workplaces, and communities to teach and encourage people, especially young people, about the risks and effects of drug use and to give them other things to do and chances to do them.
- Expanding Drug Treatment: Give people with drug use problems access to high-quality, low-cost, and culturally sensitive treatment services, such as medication-assisted treatment, behavioral therapy, and support during recovery.
- Getting rid of drug harm: Use harm reduction techniques like needle sharing, overdose prevention, and safe consumption places to cut down on the spread of diseases, the risk of overdose, and the shame and discrimination that drug users face.
- Promoting Drug Recovery: Help people who have recovered from drug use problems get back into society by giving them homes, jobs, schools, and social services, and by recognizing their accomplishments and efforts.
Conclusion
Baltimore is the drug trade capital of Maryland, and there are a lot of deaths, injuries, and health problems connected to drugs.
To get to the bottom of the problem and fix its effects, the city needs a broad, joint, and fact-based plan that includes many people and methods. That is the only way for Baltimore to have a better and healthy future.