The latest data on drug abuse-related hospital emergency department (ED) visits are findings from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), based on data for the second half of 2003.
DAWN is a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related ED visits for selected metropolitan areas and provides estimates for the Nation. It is a product of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For the third and fourth quarters of 2003, DAWN estimates 627,923 drug-related ED visits nationwide.
Overall, drug-related Emergency Department visits averaged 1.7 drugs per visit, including illicit drugs and inhalants, alcohol, prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, and nonpharmaceutical inhalants.
SAMHSA estimates 305,731 drug-related ED visits involved alcohol or a major illicit drug; this is nearly half (49 percent) of all drug-related ED visits.
Cocaine was involved in 125,921 ED visits, or 20 percent of all drug-related ED visits.
Marijuana was involved in 79,663, or nearly 13 percent, of all drug-related ED visits.
Heroin was involved in 47,604, or nearly 8 percent, of all drug-related ED visits.
Stimulants, including amphetamines and methamphetamine, were involved in 42,538, or nearly 7 percent of all drug-related ED visits.
Unspecified opiates, some of which may be heroin, occurred in 24,623, or nearly 4 percent, of all drug-related ED visits.
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Isn’t there more current data than what was reported six years ago in 2003? I know that some data is better than none, but leave it to the government to be that slow in getting data out. That being said, it’s a sad state of affairs when nearly half of those receiving emergency services are due to drugs or alcohol.