COCAINE USE RISING, SURVEY FINDS

Cocaine, heroin and marijuana use are on the rise in Broward County,
according to a report released on Monday.

Cocaine-related deaths increased from 135 in 1998 to 139 in 1999, with 47 of
those listing cocaine as the principal cause of death, the report says.

The report for the 1999 calendar year was based on data collected by a
nonprofit arm of United Way from Broward General Medical Center, the Broward
Addiction Recovery Center, treatment agency Spectrum Programs and the county
medical examiner.

Heroin-induced deaths rose to 40 in 1999 from 37 in 1998, nearly quadrupling
since 1995, when nine heroin-induced deaths were recorded.

Marijuana continued to rise in use among young adults and teenagers. Between
July and December 1999, 81 percent of all patients seeking treatment for
marijuana addiction were 25 or younger.

But David Choate, executive director of the commission that produced the
report, said the numbers were not unusual for an area the size of Broward,
whose population of about 1.5 million makes it the state's second-biggest
county.

"These numbers aren't shocking, but they do show a problem that we have to
deal with," Choate said.

The data are limited. The report does not include reviews of medical charts
or toxicology screenings from other hospitals in Broward.

Drs. Joseph Spillane and Madeline Camejo conducted the research, which
included reviewing more than 35,000 medical charts and 6,000 toxicology
screenings from the hospital's emergency department.

The Broward County Commission on Substance Abuse, founded in 1988, released
the report to every federal, state or local official affiliated with Broward
County to assist legislators and police.

Cocaine was the most commonly used illicit drug included in the report. Of
all 1,135 substance abuse-related cases going through Broward General's
emergency room from July through December 1999, 711 were cocaine-related.
There was a 2-1 ratio of powdered cocaine to crack cocaine.

Although heroin was discovered in only 49 of those 1,135 cases, the death
toll and usage numbers continue to rise. Along with the 40 deaths, 299
people were treated for heroin addiction, the report says.

Teens and young adults use more marijuana, according to the report. In 1999,
2,933 people sought treatment for marijuana addiction. About 60 percent of
them were younger than 18.