Skip to main content

Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN)

Legacy DAWN (1992-2011)

Legacy DAWN was administered from 1992 through 2011. It was a public health surveillance system that monitored emerging drug trends in both (1) emergency department (ED) visits in hospitals and (2) deaths reported by medical examiners and coroners (ME/C) across the Nation.

Legacy DAWN

Legacy DAWN was a longitudinal probability sample of hospitals located in the United States. Non-Federal, short-stay, general surgical and medical hospitals with at least one 24-hour ED were eligible to participate. It employed a multistage sampling design to select emergency departments for analysis. The mortality component of Legacy DAWN did not rely on a statistical sample of ME/Cs.

Drug-related ED visits were identified in two ways from participating hospitals and jurisdictions. These were a retrospective review of ED visits and decedent case files in each death investigation jurisdiction for ME/Cs.

Eligible drugs included:

  • Illegal or illicit drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and Ecstasy
  • Prescription drugs, such as Prozac®, Vicodin®, OxyContin®, alprazolam, and methylphenidate
  • Over-the-counter medications, including aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and multi-ingredient cough and cold remedies
  • Dietary supplements, including vitamins, herbal remedies, and nutritional products
  • Psychoactive, non-pharmaceutical inhalants
  • Alcohol in combination with drugs
  • For those under age 21, alcohol alone without any other drug

Please note that data should not be compared between the legacy DAWN and the current DAWN version.

Last Updated: 2/13/2025