New drug on the rise in Santa Barbara County

There’s been an uptick in drug activity in Santa Barbara County.

Over the past two weeks, six people were arrested on drug related charges.

Fifty-seven baggies of heroin, a pound of pot, and meth were all confiscated in drug arrests. That is just some of what law enforcement is dealing with the past couple weeks.

Now, a new drug is in the mix.

It’s called Molly, or MDMA, and it gives users a sense of euphoria.

The name of the drug makes it seem innocent, which concerns those trying to help addicts.

“It can be found in powder form or pill form. It looks like little candy,” explained Mariana Paredes, councilor at the Daniel Bryant Youth and Family Treatment Center.

Paredes helps teens with drug abuse issues. Her clients are telling her Molly is now more common on the streets and authorities are cracking down.

“I think there are more drugs out there but I think because the younger populations are using, law enforcement is more likely to become aware of it because we are seeing it more in our communities rather than in small pockets,” she said.

Forty-five hundred doses of Molly were found in an Isla Vista apartment last week. A 19-year-old drug dealer suspect was arrested.

Molly isn’t the only drug on the rise — one common drug is actually becoming even more prevalent.

“This county has seen a spike in marijuana use over the past 10 years or so,” said Paredes.

In Santa Barbara County, numbers show it being one-and-a-half times the national average.