›› Illinois: Drug Climate

Chicago, Illinois is the major transportation hub and distribution center for illegal drugs throughout the Midwest, due to its geographic location and multi-faceted transportation infrastructure. Chicago-based street gangs control the distribution and retail sale of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.

• Cocaine
  Crack cocaine abuse is the most serious drug problem in Illinois, particularly in Chicago and other urban areas. Treatment admissions for cocaine abuse more than doubled in Illinois since 1990, according to the Illinois Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
• Heroin
  The Chicago, Illinois Police Department rates heroin as the second greatest drug threat in its jurisdiction, due to increased sales and abuse. Larger numbers of new suburban users are contributing to the resurgent popularity of heroin. These newer users travel from the suburbs to Chicago's West Side to purchase the drug.
• Meth
  Illinois remains relatively meth-free. In central and southern Illinois, outlaw motorcycle gangs participate in manufacture, transportation, and distribution of meth.
• Club Drugs
  The popularity of club drugs has increased in large part due to their hallucinogenic and stimulating effects that purportedly enhance the rave experience. Ecstasy is smuggled from the Netherlands, via the Israelis and/or Russians, to Chicago, where it is distributed to Polish, Eastern Europeans, Israelis and Russians for street-level distribution.
• Marijuana
  Marijuana remains the most widely available and abused drug in Illinois. Marijuana abuse spans a wide spectrum of age, racial, and socioeconomic groups. Despite a limited growing season, the fertile soil and large, sparsely populated rural areas of Illinois attract cannabis growers.