NCJ Number
204899
Date Published
March 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network) report presents data on the number and types of drug-related visits to 20 hospitals in the Baltimore metropolitan area in 2002.
Abstract
Currently hospitals in the Baltimore area and 20 other metropolitan areas participate in the DAWN network, as they follow standard procedures for keeping records on cases that have involved medical treatment for drug abuse. Of the 1.1 million visits to the emergency departments (ED's) of the 20 Baltimore DAWN hospitals in 2002, approximately 1 percent (12,904) were related to drug abuse. The most common drugs involved in these ED visits were cocaine (5,969); heroin (4,715); narcotic analgesics (3,848); alcohol in combination with other drugs (3,189); and marijuana (2,044). Between 2001 and 2002, cocaine-related ED visits in Baltimore increased 20 percent; however, since 1995, cocaine-related ED visits in Baltimore have decreased 33 percent. More than 80 percent of cocaine-related ED visits in 2002 also involved other drugs. Heroin-related ED visits in Baltimore increased 4 percent between 2001 and 2002, but they have decreased 45 percent since 1995. Among the 21 DAWN areas, Baltimore ranked in the top 3 in 2002 regarding ED visits that involved heroin, cocaine, and narcotic analgesics (pain relievers). From 1995 to 2002, pain relievers involved in drug abuse-related ED visits increased more than 400 percent in Baltimore, from 30 to 165 mentions per 100,000 population; this compares with a national increase of 139 percent, from 19 to 46 mentions per 100,000. Oxycodone and methadone were the most often reported pain relievers in drug-related ED visits in Baltimore in 2002. From 1995 to 2002, marijuana-related ED visits in Baltimore increased over 100 percent, from 42 to 88 visits per 100,000 population; marijuana was reported in approximately 16 percent of all drug abuse-related ED visits in Baltimore and was usually reported in combination with other drugs. Four figures compare Baltimore's 2002 rates of ED visits for cocaine, heroin, pain relievers, and marijuana with the other 20 DAWN sites.