Cocaine is a stimulant that's very addictive and officials say there's a steady flow of the drug coming into Colorado. Mexican trafficking organizations bring in large quantities of cocaine into the state. In the larger metropolitan areas of Colorado street level amounts of crack cocaine is also able to be found. Crack cocaine is derived from powdered cocaine and is also highly addictive. Those who prefer abusing crack cocaine choose this form because they're able to experience an immediate rush or high. When crack cocaine is smoked the vapors enter the lungs and bloodstream very fast and then reach the brain.

The use of heroin is increasing in Colorado and so is the availability of the opiate drug. Black tar heroin is a black sticky substance and is a form of the illicit drug that's increasing in Colorado. Mexican brown heroin is also available in major metropolitan areas of the state.

Meth abuse is very widespread because it's a very addictive stimulant that makes the user feel energized, the drug lifts their mood and they experience feelings of pleasure. A lot of people experiment with street drugs but the problem with meth is that you can become addicted quickly. Some drugs may not cause dependence right away but meth can cause the user to become addicted very fast.

Most of the meth found in Colorado comes from Mexico and the potency has steadily increased over the years. Now the meth that comes from Mexico can be compared to methamphetamine that's produced in small local meth labs, it's just as potent. Larger scale labs in California also supply some of the meth found in Colorado. There aren't as many local clandestine labs found in Colorado but this could be due to the fact that Mexican meth is so available.

MDMA (Ecstasy), LSD, GHB and Ketamine fall into the category 'club drugs' because they're used during parties and in some nightclubs. MDMA comes from foreign and domestic suppliers and is distributed by independent traffickers. Ecstasy is a man-made drug that's similar to methamphetamine and mescaline. Young people especially like ecstasy because they feel emotionally warm, it increases their energy level and they experience euphoria. Ecstasy also distorts time, perception and changes their sense of touch.

Bath salts are also found in Colorado and can be purchased in some area head shops according to the Denver News. Unfortunately the use of bath salts to get high can make a person extremely sick or they could even die. The chemical makeup in some bath salts is similar to ecstasy and methamphetamine and can be found under the name Cloud 9, Bliss and Tranquility. Bath salts are becoming a problem in many areas of the United States.

Prescription drugs are behind many deaths in Colorado and they're not always purchased on the street. Most of the time prescription drugs are abused straight from the medicine cabinet in the person's own home. There were more deaths in 2008 from prescription drug abuse than there were deaths related to drunken driving accidents according to the Attorney General.