SAMHSA "Short Reports" on Statistics

SAMHSA's Office of Applied Studies (OAS) recently released several "short reports," which are based on statistics and data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). DAWN data measure mentions of drug abuse linked to emergency room visits, and TEDS is a compilation of data on the substance abuse and demographic characteristics of those admitted for treatment.

Treatment Admissions for Painkillers

Between 1992 and 2002, treatment admission rates for abuse of narcotic pain medications more than doubled, according to a new report based on information reported to TEDS in 2002. The proportion of new users—those entering treatment within 3 years of beginning use—increased from 26 percent in 1997 to 39 percent in 2002. The median duration of use before first seeking treatment decreased from 9 years of use in 1992 to 7 years in 1997 to 4 years in 2002. Go to report.

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ER Visits for Club Drugs

Emergency room visits related to abuse of club drugs—GHB, ketamine, LSD, and Ecstasy—remained stable or declined in 2002, according to a new DAWN report. Visits associated with GHB decreased by one-third between 2000 and 2002, and visits involving LSD declined rapidly between 1999 and 2002. Ecstasy-related visits remained steady at 2001 levels, while ketamine-related visits remained at the lowest levels seen since 1998. Go to report.

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Criminal Justice Referrals

The Nation's criminal justice system was the principal source of referral for 36 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions in 2002, according to new data compiled from TEDS. The report also notes that admissions referred by the criminal justice system were more likely to report alcohol as the primary substance of abuse compared to all other admissions (45 percent vs. 42 percent). Go to report.

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Drug and Alcohol Use Among Runaways

Young people age 12 to 17 who had run away from home in the prior 12 months were more likely to have used alcohol, marijuana, or an illicit drug other than marijuana in the past year than those who had not run away, according to the 2002 NSDUH Report. Although runaways were more likely to be male (55 percent), alcohol use was higher among female youth (55 percent) who had run away compared to males (46 percent). Go to report.

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ER Data on Oxycodone and Hydrocodone Abuse

Of the 119,000 mentions of narcotic pain medications in emergency room visits in 2002, 40 percent involved either oxycodone or hydrocodone, according to a new DAWN report. The report found 47,594 mentions of oxycodone and hydrocodone in 42,808 emergency room visits related to drug abuse. Approximately three-quarters of these hospital visits involved other drugs in addition to oxycodone (71 percent) and hydrocodone (78 percent). Go to report.

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Painkiller Treatment Rates in Urban and Rural Areas

Overall, treatment admission rates for narcotic painkillers increased by 155 percent between 1992 and 2002, based on data compiled from TEDS. Increases in treatment admission rates for abuse of narcotic painkillers were evident in all urban levels, but were greatest in more rural areas. The proportions of narcotic painkiller treatment admissions taking the drugs orally or inhaling them increased, while the proportion injecting them decreased. Go to report.

For a copy of these reports, contact SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345. Telephone: 1 (800) 729-6686 (English and Spanish) or 1 (800) 487-4889 (TDD). Online, these and other publications are available at www.oas.samhsa.gov.

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