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Data on both drug treatment and emergency room admissions
also distinguish the abuse potential of marijuana from that
of other drugs, and establishes its relative abuse potential
as lower than Schedule I drugs such as heroin and Schedule
II drugs such as cocaine.
According to the Treatment Episodes Data Set, nearly 54%
of all marijuana treatment admissions are referred to by the
criminal justice system, compared to much smaller percentages
for heroin and cocaine. The abuse potential of the more dangerous
drugs is so severe that addicts seek treatment on their own
or through persuasion from the people they have contact with.
Furthermore, marijuana treatment admissions are much more
likely to receive ambulatory drug treatment such as outpatient
care than opiate or cocaine admissions, another indication
that marijuana has a lower potential for abuse (see table
3)
The relative abuse potential of drugs can also be evaluated
by comparing the likelihood of the respective user populations
to be admitted to emergency rooms as a result of their drug
use. According to the 1998 National Household Survey, there
were 18.7 million annual marijuana users, 3.8 million annual
cocaine users, and 253,000 annual heroin users. According
to 1998 data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), based
on reports from participating hospital emergency rooms, there
were 76,870 emergency room mentions for marijuana, 172,014
mentions of cocaine, and 77,645 mentions of heroin/morphine.
Incorporating both sets of data indicates that rates of emergency
room mentions per 100,000 users is 411 for marijuana, 4,514
for cocaine, and 30,690 for heroin. The table demonstrates
that users of marijuana in the U.S. are much less likely to
be admitted to emergency rooms than those of cocaine and heroin.
Table 3.
Selected Drug Use Statistics - 1998
| |
Estimated Annual Users (1) |
Emergency Room (ER) Mentions
(2) |
ER Mentions/
100,000 users |
Percent of Treatment Admissions Referred
by Criminal Justice System (3) |
Percent of Treatment Admissions Receiving
Ambulatory Care (3) |
| Marijuana/Hashish |
18,710,000 |
76,870 |
410.85 |
53.9% |
80.4% |
| Heroin/Morphine |
253,000 |
77,645 |
30,689.72 |
11.1% - 17.0% |
59.5%-61.8% |
| Cocaine |
3,811,000 |
172,014 |
4,513.62 |
25.7% - 29.3% |
52.2% - 57.1% |
Thus, national survey data provide additional evidence that
marijuana does not have a high potential for abuse relative
to other controlled substances.
Reference
Rouse BA. Epidemiology of illicit and abused drugs in the
general population, emergency department drug-related episodes,
and arrestees. Clin Chem 1996 Aug;42(8 Pt 2):1330-6
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