ER MENTIONS OF COCAINE AND MARIJUANA INCREASE

Emergency department mentions of cocaine increased 10 percent and marijuana
15 percent from 2000 to 2001, according to new data in the Drug Abuse
Warning Network, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services.

The 2001 DAWN data show 638,484 drug-related hospital emergency room visits
in the continental United States, an increase of 6 percent over 2000. In
DAWN, a single drug-abuse episode may have multiple drug mentions.

"This report shows one more cost of drug abuse to our society," said HHS
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "We must continue to strengthen our prevention
programs and build substance abuse treatment capacity so that people don't
abuse drugs and end up in costly emergency departments, taking resources
away from other urgent care needs."

Of the 193,034 mentions of cocaine, one-fourth were attributed to crack.

"Eight out of every 10 drug mentions comes from seven substances - alcohol
in combination with other drugs, cocaine, marijuana, heroin,
benzodiazepines, antidepressants and analgesics," said the administration
leader, Charles G. Curie. "Dependence and suicide were the most frequently
cited motives for taking substances. People need to know help is available,
treatment is effective and recovery is possible."