Posted on 08/24/2002 1:02:56 AM PDT by JediGirl
CARSON CITY -- A federal study that shows drug-related emergency room visits are on the rise takes aim at marijuana use.
The survey, by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said drug-related emergency room visits rose 6 percent in 2001 over the previous year, to 638,484.
The number of times marijuana was mentioned as a drug patients used rose 15 percent, the study said, greater than the increase in cocaine use, which rose 10 percent, and heroin and methamphetamine, which were unchanged.
The study, which surveys 458 hospital emergency rooms nationwide, comes as Nevada and Arizona consider ballot questions that would legalize or decriminalize marijuana.
"Marijuana-related medical emergencies are increasing at an alarming rate, exceeding even those for heroin," White House Drug Czar John Walters said in a prepared statement. "This report helps dispel the pervasive myth that marijuana is harmless.
"In reality, marijuana is a dangerous drug, and adults and youth alike should be aware of the serious consequences that can come from smoking it."
Billy Rogers, leader of the campaign to pass Nevada's ballot question, which would legalize possession of up to three ounces of marijuana, disputed the conclusions.
"They're not talking about marijuana emergencies," Rogers said. "Nobody has died from an overdose of marijuana."
When patients go to an emergency room, they are asked what, if any, drugs they have taken. The federal Drug Abuse Warning Network counts the mentions of illegal drugs and misused prescription drugs reported by patients, and those are compiled into the twice-a-year study. Often patients said they had taken more than one drug.
Alcohol in combination with other drugs was the most frequently mentioned nationwide, at 34 percent, with cocaine at 30 percent, marijuana at 17 percent and heroin, 15 percent.
Marijuana had been used in combination with other drugs 76 percent of the time it was mentioned; 24 percent of the time, it was the sole drug used.
The increase in marijuana use reflected in emergency room visits drew federal concern. Between 1994 and 2001, mentions of marijuana per 100,000 emergency room patients rose 151 percent, compared with 34 percent for heroin and 22 percent for cocaine.
The rate for patients age 12 to 17, although stable from 2000 to 2001, increased 23 percent from 1999 to 2001, the report said.
"The clear message of the DAWN survey is that in already crowded emergency rooms, increasingly, one of the reasons people are showing up is marijuana use," said Mark Weber, spokesman for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
"It's taking resources from other parts of the health care sector. If you have 10 people in a room, how do you prioritize?"
The study gave separate reports for 21 cities, but Las Vegas was not among them. Neither the state nor county health division had statistics for Nevada or Las Vegas on those treated in emergency rooms with marijuana problems, and University Medical Center does not track drug use by type of drug, a spokesman said.
Local paramedics said they have noticed an increase in drug use overall in Las Vegas, but not in marijuana, said Tammy Bame, spokeswoman for American Medical Response.
"No one seems to feel there is an increase," Bame said. "There's nothing that really stands out."
AMR paramedic Shannon Cavey said Thursday the top drugs she sees in the Las Vegas area are crystal meth, GHB and Ecstasy, drugs not frequently used with marijuana.
"We see a lot more of those than people just getting high ( on marijuana )," Cavey said.
Alcohol, another depressant, is the drug most commonly associated with marijuana use, she said.
In fact, pot is rarely a topic during her shifts, she said.
"I don't hear about it much in the field," Cavey said.
An informal poll at Valley Hospital showed a similar result. Emergency room personnel have not noticed any increase in marijuana-related cases, spokeswoman Gretchen Pappas said.
"We haven't seen anything like that," Pappas said.
Weber, of SAMHSA, agreed that in Western cities use of club drugs and methamphetamine has been more prevalent since the early 1990s. But across the country, he said, more young people are in drug treatment for marijuana dependence that all other illegal drugs combined.
As with any depressant, marijuana can be dangerous when taken with other depressants, Cavey said. However, a marijuana-only overdose is rare, said Cavey, who has been a paramedic for 10 years.
"I have never even seen anyone overdose on marijuana," Cavey said. "It's always been mixed with something else."
Rogers said there is going to be a lot of smoke blown in this election campaign and his job is to cut through it to get the facts.
Besides allowing the possession of up to three ounces of marijuana by adults, the constitutional amendment would allow the state Legislature to set up "pot shops" to distribute marijuana.
It would still be illegal for minors to possess the drug.
"Nevadans are smart enough to know that heroin and cocaine are dangerous and marijuana is less dangerous," Rogers said.
Potheads tend to do other even more dangerous drugs in combination with their smokes, then they show up at the emergency room looking for help on our nickel. And the numbers are rising.
Dope is Libertarianism's #1 priority.
John Walters, DAWN, and this newspaper must think we, the subjects of the U.S. fedgov, are total morons who won't give a moment's skepticism to this tripe.
Is there anyone with more than a room temperature IQ who doesn't realize there's a difference between someone showing up in an ER because of marijuana and being in the ER for some other reason, coincidentally with marijuana in their system?
Yeah, don't they realize that druggies have a Constitutional right to create an ever increasing burden on society!
If these two states deem it appropriate to legalize marijuana, is that not their right? Interesting to me that a Federal Study will bring us "the facts".
Secondly, as a former analyst, I *KNOW* how easy it is to make the numbers represent what the higher-ups require. I haven't seen in this article the connection between the pot use and the reason for the emergency room visit. Have you?
Of course you haven't. What do you expect?
You don't know how true that is. Four years ago, a friend of mine had his car broken into when he was parked downtown. He had one tiny roach in his ashtray that had probably been there two weeks (not smart to leave that in the car, but beside the point).
The officer who wrote up the break in report found the roach. He wasn't that gung ho about about busting my friend for the roach, but said he had to note it in the report "for statistics purposes". I asked him what that meant. He rolled his eyes and said anytime a crime is committed and there's any signs of drugs in the periphery, they're required to make note of it.
"So this will be classified as a drug-related crime?", I asked him. "Yep", he said. I asked if that made any sense to him and he replied, "Not at all, but I don't make the rules."
After that, I've been 100% skeptical about drug-related statistics. It's all too easy for the fedgov to artificially inflate the numbers.
I suppose if I run a red light and the cops find rolling papers in the periphery (which is what... 100 feet... 1 mile?), that would also be a drug-related crime even though I've never used a drug in my life.
I suppose you think spending $30 billion (and increasing) a year on a War on Drugs that accomplishes nothing isn't a burden on society? Not to mention the assault on our constitutional rights. That's not a problem either, is it?
I choose my words deliberatly.
Not really getting the full effect of your pot then are you?
Emergency waiting room:
"Excuse me, ma'am, we're taking a survey."
"Yes?"
"I notice that you have a sprained ankle. Mind telling me how you got it?"
"Slipped off a step ladder while painting my kitchen."
"Have you used marijuana in the past month?"
"Why, yes, last week I went to a party at my aunt's and. . ."
"Aha!" 
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