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.
Cite the Constitutional text that gives the federal government the authority to regulate the intrastate making, transporting, selling, buying, or using of drugs.
you: What a %&#)(%!)*#%)*!#%^ing "gentleman" you are.
I can't help it if truth offends you. It would be a blessing to have less dopes around and their offspring indulging in the same garbage.
me:At the moment you come across like a toddler having a tantrum when they can't have their way and refuse to accept reality. The reality is that marijuanna is a mind altering drug that needs to remain illegal and society needs to be protected from those who use this ridiculous drug.
you: Funny, I feel the same about booze. Why don't we just reinstate Prohibition while we're at it?
Sure you do ... the problem with you is you don't think but only FEEL. Be a dope. advertize how stupid you've become. Let your own words indict you as they are doing. As for Prohibition, you ought to read up on why that happened and when reinstated what the result was. Again you advertize your ignorance. What a dope!
Yeah right. If you felt so strongly against drinking it's doubtful that you'd use the stupid alias of "hemmingway's Ghost. He was a drunken leftist. As to his demise, I'll let you read up on that. He was a waste of human being.
BTW, it's only the simple minded that like to compare apples to oranges, albeit marijuanna to alcohol. Not only are you simple minded but a hypocrite.
I know why it was repealed: because it was imprisoning productive citizens, causing deaths due to impurities, enriching organized crime, and allowing the corruption of the justice system by enriched criminals---all the same effects that the War On Some Drugs is having today.
I have to disagree; sadly, pro-WODers don't come much better than nmh.
Agreed, but come on: we must give Roscoe his props. He's done a yeoman's job of arguing the pro-socialist, pro-big government, pro-nanny state side of the W.o.D. issue, hasn't he?
Ah, be like Hemmingway. Be a leftist drunk.
You: I know why it was repealed: because it was imprisoning productive citizens, causing deaths due to impurities, enriching organized crime, and allowing the corruption of the justice system by enriched criminals---all the same effects that the War On Some Drugs is having today.
No there are major differences between mind altering drugs and alcohol. The two are not equal. Again, "imprisioning productive people. enriching organized crime, causing death ..." what an insane comparison! You get the award for being "out there!"
Way back when bootlegging liquor certainly enriched people such as the Kennedys. Productive people aren't alcoholics and are no more "imprisioned" that any other vice that is engaged in by choice. It's very unusual for alcohol alone to cause a death unless mixed with other drugs or ingested to an extreme.
I'm not an alcohol by any means but seeing nonsensical comparisons like this do raise my ire and question the motive of the person asserting them. You really need to read up on Prohibition and see WHO initiated it and the result of it. You'll be surprised that the goal set out was accomplished even though it was legalized again.
Happy reading - that is if you seek knowledge.
Learn to spell.
Alcohol IS a mind altering drug.
"imprisioning productive people. enriching organized crime, causing death ..." what an insane comparison!
Each took place during the War On Alcohol and is taking place during the War On Some Drugs.
Productive people aren't alcoholics and are no more "imprisioned" that any other vice that is engaged in by choice.
I din't mean imprisonment as a metaphor but as a statement of plain fact; during both Wars On Disapproved Substances, productive citizens were imprisoned---placed in cells---for the "crime" of engaging in frowned-upon entertainments.
It's very unusual for alcohol alone to cause a death unless mixed with other drugs or ingested to an extreme.
That's equally true of illegal drugs---if not contaminated with fatal impurities or ingested to an extreme, they don't kill.
You really need to read up on Prohibition and see WHO initiated it and the result of it. You'll be surprised that the goal set out was accomplished even though it was legalized again.
I have read about Prohibition; my sources agree with Prof. K. Austin Kerr of the Ohio State University Department of History: "Prohibition in the United States was a measure designed to reduce drinking by eliminating the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages."
What secret knowledge do you claim?
That's equally true of illegal drugs---if not contaminated with fatal impurities or ingested to an extreme, they don't kill.
And don't forget that there is not a single documented case of marijuana alone causing a death.
Me:It's very unusual for alcohol alone to cause a death unless mixed with other drugs or ingested to an extreme."
You: That's equally true of illegal drugs---if not contaminated with fatal impurities or ingested to an extreme, they don't kill. "I know skip over the differences of marijuanna and alcohol. I suppose all those companies out there that refuse to hire dopes have it all wrong. Never mind that marijuanna is a mind latering drug. Never mind that quite a few little kids and adults have been killed when the operator of the train or bus were "high" on marijuanna. One thing is clear, you will never get a decent good paying job because smart employers screen you out through urine and hair tests. They want no part of the mind alterating deterioration that happens ALL the time with marijuanna users. As mentioned before, one small blessing is that marijuanna users are more oftne than not infertile. I suppose it's God's way of stopping proliferation of more dumbed down and learning disabled people when it is self imposed through illegal drug use.
You:"And don't forget that there is not a single documented case of marijuana alone causing a death."
Sadly the user may or may not be killed but unfortunately they kill other innocent people when high. Next time a dope, marijuanna user makes the headlines either killing himself/herself and others, don't make yourself scarce on FR. Expplain you way out of that too. The ugly truth is that marijuanna offers NO benefits to any user.
LeRoy, be a dope if you have to but do it on your own time away from people so that you can't harm or kill them.
I already mentioned one difference: alcohol, unlike marijuana, can kill you in a single evening. Here's another: alcohol is more addictive by every measure.
I suppose all those companies out there that refuse to hire dopes have it all wrong.
I suppose all those companies out there that don't test for drugs have it all wrong.
Never mind that marijuanna is a mind latering drug.
So is alcohol.
Never mind that quite a few little kids and adults have been killed when the operator of the train or bus were "high" on marijuanna.
Many have been killed by drunks.
One thing is clear, you will never get a decent good paying job
Wrong; I have one now.
the mind alterating deterioration that happens ALL the time with marijuanna users.
Provide evidence for your claim.
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