NEWSLETTER - Canadian Harm Reduction Network

Usually, the price of cocaine in Toronto follows the price of cocaine in Montreal and thenKingston. In Montreal the price of cocaine has been stable between $70.00 and$80.00/gram for ten years now. To decrease the price of cocaine on the streets ofToronto, the going rate of powdered cocaine in the streets of Montreal should have fallento as low as $50.00 to $60.00/gram. If that's the case, there should be a sharp increasein the number of needles being distributed in Montreal (either that, or an increase in thenumber of IDUs getting infected with HCV and HIV).In terms of heroin, the prices have dropped to the pre-drought levels of last year(October). Right now, depending upon quality and count, the price of a quarter gramheroin in the streets of Toronto is between $50.00 and $60.00 (well, one can buy it for aslow as $40.00, but one would be getting less than 0.2g and a good portion of it will bedextrose). I suspect this price is going to drop given 1) the record crop of opium inAfghanistan; 2) the fact that the Europeans restarted importing heroin as a response tolast year's drought (and they haven't stopped yet); and 3) the South Americans havedropped the price of heroin to almost the same price of cocaine (we're talking bulk here).iDUs and front-line-workers in Kingston and Vancouver must have better informationregarding speed. In Toronto, there are two main groups of speed users: 1) Ravers, whopredominantly use crystal meth, and 2) old-timers who use the classicmethamphetamine. Crystal Meth is mostly a rip-off. In my opinion, it is speed without2P2 -- one gets high for a long time without the accompanying euphoria. It is also veryexpensive because of the way it is sold (in 1/3g vials or capsules). Ravers and designerdrug users pay anywhere between $100.00 and $140.00 for a gram of Crystal Meth (a1/3g vial usually costs $35.00 -- although I could be wrong because few of our serviceusers are Ravers; however, we do have a few young crystal meth users and thisinformation is from them). As for old-time speed users, they usually get their stuff fromKingston or Vancouver. Dealers cut the shit out of these drugs and sell them for$100.00 to $120.00 for gram (a gram usually weighs 0.8g).Afghan heroin is flooding the Russian market through a dense network that covers theentire nation. There are between three and four million drug users, the heroin crowdhaving grown by twenty-three per cent between 1998 and 2002. Afghan stuff accountsfor seventy per cent of supplies. (ASSOCIATED PRESS: RUSSIA TRAFFIC -27/08/2003)~Raffi Balianrbalian@srchc.comThe Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force Front Line Workers Group meets onthe second Tuesday each month at the Restaurant at Fred Victor Centre(south/east corner of Queen St. E. at Jarvis) from 1:30 – 3pm. If you work withany vulnerable population where drug use is a concern, please feel free to joinus. There is no need to register and no fee to attend. Each month apresentation about a harm reduction related topic is followed by opportunities fornetworking and support. For further information, contact the Task Force at 647-222-4420 or torontoharmreduction@lycos.comToronto Harm Reduction Task Forcewww.torontoharmreduction.org