Drug Use in the Dr

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norman

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I heard that dug use in the Dr was rampant. A Canadian woman told me that her husband was addicted to cocain and that "half the males in the Dr were regular cocain users" . I didn't really believe her , but .....Is there any truth in that. Is drug use quite common there?If so what?
 

samiam

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I wouldnt call it rampant! Cocaine is a very popular drug among users here. I've seen/heard people using it in clubs and bars, I know people that have done it in Santo Domingo and Santiago. I think is more of a city drug culture, although such cities hold the biggest concentration of people, to say 50% of males use Coke here, in my opinion, is highly overestimated.
 

AZB

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I have been living in DR for 6 years and have been traveling here since 85. I can tell you from my point of view that I have never seen any drugs anywhere in DR. Now I am not saying that drugs are not sold in DR, its just not that visible if you are not looking for them as opposed to major american cities where drugs are sold almost everywhere.
DR is like any other country in the world, if you want drugs, you will find them but you will not see them in the streets being sold by drug dealers. No, dominicans are not into abusing illegal drugs. Not a single friend of mine has even tried Marijuana in their entire life, let alone cocaine.
 

Pib

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[B]AZB[/B] said:
I have been living in DR for 6 years and have been traveling here since 85. I can tell you from my point of view that I have never seen any drugs anywhere in DR. Now I am not saying that drugs are not sold in DR, its just not that visible if you are not looking for them as opposed to major american cities where drugs are sold almost everywhere.
DR is like any other country in the world, if you want drugs, you will find them but you will not see them in the streets being sold by drug dealers. No, dominicans are not into abusing illegal drugs. Not a single friend of mine has even tried Marijuana in their entire life, let alone cocaine.
I concur. I have lived here all my life, never seen nor known anyone using illegal drugs. Presidente is the preferred poison here.
 

ajicaribe

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Perico

Actually I have heard that Perico ( mixture of cheap cocaine and other unknow crap) is a popular drug among young dominicans.
As already mentioned by another poster, very popular in bars and discos because there is not smoking involved.

What I personally would suggest to Norman's friend husband is to stay in Canada with his addiction. There he can find more help and be rehab.
In the DR, addicts get rehab in prision ( there is more drugs inside the jails than outside).

In the DR one can be jailed from years just because of a joint, and God forbid a gringo being cut with drugs in that country.
They will milk anyone out, throw them in prision, etc.

Best is NOT to use drugs in the DR.
There is a lot cheap beers and rum, plus or the fun we have day to day with the news and lol.

Cheers
Aj
 

Jon S.

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Jan 25, 2003
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What a bunch of crap!!! When I used to go to Schizo and other clubs in Santo Domingo, you could see people going into corners and bringing out a little bag, then putting some of that "refined sugar" on a credit card and sniffing away............all those rich kids do it, I've seen it myself, I went to school or lived near a lot of them. I remember one time I went to some club on Winston Churchill Ave and there had to be at least 5 people getting coked up outta their minds right outside the club, then two of them had the nerve to start a fight, then the freaking cops from Destacamento de Naco showed up and took them away. I will agree with the fact that people over there don't sell or buy drugs out in the open, unlike in the US. It's a recreational drug down there, more for just the party scene, it's not something they would dabble in every day.

For a joint it's 6 months automatically, as a person I used to go to school with found out the hard way, right to el Palacio de la Policia, in the Alaska section, it's probably the worst section in there...............he came out after 5 months and 13 days looking like shit.
 

carlos

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May 29, 2002
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Pib said:
Presidente is the preferred poison here.

I was thinking the same thing lol

If they were to ban Presidente...oh boy!!
 

samiam

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I'd rather get caught stealing a car than with a joint in my pocket!
Here drug use highly frowned upon by the local pigs, err cops.

Some of kids in the high school I went here (specially the so called embassy kids) used to smoke pot in the field. But it was just the same as in any american high school as I found out when I moved to the states. I think its pretty normal to expect that now a days.

My advice to you is not to risk it here since its not worth the trouble you'll get into with the authorities. Stick to rum if you are visiting the DR.:chinese:
 

samiam

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cmedina07 said:
I was thinking the same thing lol

If they were to ban Presidente...oh boy!!

We'd have to bring General Paulino back because it'd be another civil war!:dead:
 

suarezn

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I think I was about 15, the first time I ever heard of anyone I knew using drugs in the DR. He was caught with marijuana and was kicked out of school. I must say that the prevalence of drugs has increased tremendously in the DR over the last 10 years or so. Still, it is not very visible (except for maybe some neighborhoods such as Capotillo, Los Guandules, etc). The DR is used as a "bridge" between drug producing countries (Colombia, peru, etc) and the US. As such there's bound to be some residual drugs left in the DR for consumption. Considering the number of dominicans involved in the drug trade, it is a miracle that drug usage is still relatively low. There's definitely NOT a "drug culture" in the DR. In other words, even though people do it, it is not looked upon as cool as in the US. Presidente, rum and sex still rule as vices in the DR. My two cents...
 

Yan-Yan

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Sep 22, 2003
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Oh Pleeease!:rolleyes:

Norman, that is a ridiculous exaggeration. I was born and raised in Santo Domingo and I was offered drugs for the first time about two months ago in my last visit... And I was shocked!

The truth is that the use of drugs has indeed increased dramatically in the last couple of years... But if you are talking about "rampant" drug use, that would be Madrid, not Santo Domingo.

50% of the Dominican males are addicted to beer and rum; actually I think there's a serious alcoholism problem, as anyone can buy alcohol anywhere, no matter age!

As some people have said here, nobody would want to be caught with drugs in the DR, it's a sure trip to jail... And believe me, nobody's looking forward to that.

Forget that nonsense, that person had no clue what she was talking about!
 

norman

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drug use

Yan-Yan said:
Oh Pleeease!:rolleyes:

Norman, that is a ridiculous exaggeration. I was born and raised in Santo Domingo and I was offered drugs for the first time about two months ago in my last visit... And I was shocked!

The truth is that the use of drugs has indeed increased dramatically in the last couple of years... But if you are talking about "rampant" drug use, that would be Madrid, not Santo Domingo.

I was very surprised when i heard it because I've never seen it or heard about it
 

ricktoronto

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Jan 9, 2002
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Observation

There is some crack and powder cocaine use among some of the street girls in Boca Chica, not done in the open but I kow one girl personally that has wasted down to a mere shadow and was put into rehab by her American boyfriend in a la Romana clinic so it is there.

Among tourists I have never seen it and ws only approached once by a tigre who I told I would cal lth e police, since there was a 50/50 chance he was an agent provocateur anyway for them. he left.
 

kjdrga

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Living among the poor I never saw drug abuse nor use. I do however know of people dying from psorios of the liver due to acholoism. I have seen kids especially addicted to glues cement glue to get their highs. It's all to sad really they beg and steal just to buy glue to sniff.
 

dulce

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Jan 1, 2002
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I hate to be negative because after spending much time in the RD I always told people that drugs were not a problem there.(aside from the traffic passing through country) This past winter in Jaun Dolio was the first time I saw and heard about drug sales and use. I am sure it may have been there in the past but I never heard it talked about. I can not say that anymore. What I observed this winter was small sales by the local concho drivers and the major dealers were Italian and Belgian. Jaun Dolio has become a town pretty much owned by Italian small businesses and the younger generation has gotten in on the money to be made from drugs. The majority of customers, I am happy to report, were rich expats living there and tourists. I am not saying that no Dominicans were using because I knew some ladies of the night and some sankies who did drugs with thier customers. Unfortunately some of them are obviously addicted now. For the most part the Dominicans in the area are lucky if they have enough money to buy a pack of cigarettes that they are addicted to never mind cocaine. God Bless any of them who become addicted to drugs. I attribute the rise in drug sales and use to the bad economy. Another side effect that is already being noticed in an increase in crime activity. We all know that use begets more use hence the desperate acts for the needed next high.
 

Larry

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Mar 22, 2002
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Cocaine

Go into the flamingo bar in sosua and see everyone coked out of their minds.You dont see the actual coke but you can tell everyone is coked up. Like AZB said, if you go looking for drugs you will find them. However, if you avoided the touristy places and the clubs in the major cities, I'll bet that you could spend 20 years in the DR and never see a hint of illegal drugs. Probably more drugs on 1 block in Washington Heights than there is in that whole country.
Larry
 

CaribbeanGeorge

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Jan 3, 2002
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Open your eyes, please

It's not a matter of getting drugs, it'a a matter of corruption, I have lived here for 8 yrs from Punta Cana to Cabarete, all around and I have seen drugs beingn offered even by officers.
In Santo Domingo the barrios are bad I once knew a guy selling used cell phones and he was a dealer too, he kept all his stuff in his mom house, without her even knowing.
Here is worst than other countries, because the police knows and let all this mules sell, as long as they share their part.
So open your eyes, just drop to Sosua or Boca chica, just to mention.
Some persons from the inteligence sector are just informers, but they keep their bussiness under their own protection
 

Jan

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Drug bust

I went to a techno bar in Santo Domingo and I knew half the people there were on Extacy. I didn't even realize that this drug was here!
Once I went to a little popular bar here in Zona Colonial and as soon as I went in and got my beer...walked out to the street cause it was too crowded. Two trucks pulled up with about 20 uniformed men jumping out with guns. They told everyone in the place to put they'er hands on the walls. I started but I guess they thought I was a tourist and they told me that I didn't have to. But, not wanting to stand out and look like I was a stuck up tourist I did what the others were doing. I didn't understand what was happening but luckly a guy next to me spoke english and he was translating for me. They had peoples shoes off. Dumping purses. One guy they had take his pants down! I saw 2 guns, and a few knives but the police gave these back to the people. I was shocked! There was a TV camera there too. I can't remember the ladys name but she is the controversal reporter on TV.
Anyhow, there were no drugs found, which was amazing to me, there was at least 100 people there. All hippy looking younger people. Unless the people had drugs and paid someone off.
After about 20 minutes they all left and the party was back to normal. The crowd did thin out a bit tho. And I was outta there as soon as my beer was gone!
Lawyer friends told me that if you see anything that looks like drugs anywhere, in a colmado, in a park, anywhere, get out! Because if the police come they can arrest everyone. Even if your an innocent bystander.
So my advice is, if you know anyone anywhere that is using or holding don't hang around. Don't want to spend time in a Dominican prision. Even if its only for 1 night!
 
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Apr 26, 2002
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Re: Drug bust

Jan said:
Lawyer friends told me that if you see anything that looks like drugs anywhere, in a colmado, in a park, anywhere, get out! Because if the police come they can arrest everyone. Even if your an innocent bystander.

And this applies to gringos too! Listen to Jan's warning! Don't let that cute date take you somewhere where there are drugs, and don't hang around with users or, dare I say, people who look like they are users. The police will arrest everyone within shouting range in a drug bust. I've seen it happen.
 

samiam

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Mar 5, 2003
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Follow Jan's advice.
Police tend to storm into clubs and pubs where they suspect drugs are being used/sold. These unpleasant surprises are called redadas. I've seen it here in Santo Domingo colonial zone. I dunno about the north coast but most likely cabarete, sosua and POP are not excempt.
:eek:gre:
 
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