NCJ Number
182088
Editor(s)
A. Joseph Stribling
Date Published
August 1999
Length
169 pages
Annotation
This report presents estimates of emergency department visits related to drug abuse in 1997, using data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network’s representative sample of 470 non-Federal, short-stay, general medical and surgical hospitals with 24-hour emergency department facilities.
Abstract
An estimated 527,058 drug-related emergency department episodes involving 943,937 drug mentions occurred during the year. Fifty-four percent of the episodes involved more than one drug. Alcohol-in-combination was the most frequently mentioned drug nationwide with 171,982 mentions, followed by cocaine (161,087 mentions), heroin/morphine (72,010 mentions), and marijuana/hashish (67,744 mentions). The total number of drug abuse episodes did not change from 1996 to 1997 overall or by gender or race/ethnicity of the individual. Increases in mentions occurred from 1996 to 1997 for methamphetamine/speed and marijuana/hashish. Fifty-one percent of the episodes involved males; 48 percent involved females. Twelve percent of the episodes involved persons ages 6-17 years, 20 percent involved persons ages 18-25 years, 26 percent involved persons ages 26-34 years, and 42 percent involved persons ages 35 and older. Suicide was the motive for drug use in 36 percent of the episodes; drug dependence was the motive in 34 percent of the episodes. Tables and appended methodological information, glossary, reporting form, and additional findings