NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

the 1,198 drug abuse ED reports in the first half of
2004 (exhibit 5). Sixty-four percent of the marijuana
ED patients were male. Non-Hispanic Whites accounted
for 76 percent of these patients, non-
Hispanic Blacks for 16 percent, and Hispanics/other
for 7 percent. Marijuana is still the most commonly
abused illicit drug among young people visiting the
emergency department. Roughly 67 percent of all
illicit substance abuse patients in the 12–34 age
group involved marijuana. There were 17 patients (7
percent) younger than 18, while 27 percent of patients
were age 18–24, 34 percent were 25–34, and 32
percent were older than 34.
BARC reported that 32 percent (n=1,080) of its
3,416 clients in the first half of 2004 were admitted
for marijuana addiction. Spectrum Programs reported
57 percent (370) of the 641 addiction clients served
in the first half of 2004 sought treatment for marijuana.
Combined, the two programs had 1,450 marijuana
clients (36 percent) among their 4,057 patients
during the first 6 months of 2004. Approximately
one-half of marijuana clients from both programs
were non-Hispanic Whites, one-third were non-
Hispanic Blacks, and the remainder were Hispanics/other.
Most (45 percent) of Spectrum Programs
marijuana clients were younger than 18, and most (43
percent) of the BARC clients were age 35 or older.
The NFLIS reported 3,111 marijuana crime lab cases
in Miami-Dade County in the 12-month period from
October 2003 to September 2004, representing 20
percent of all exhibits analyzed. There were 461
marijuana cases worked by the BSO Crime Lab in the
first half of 2004. Statewide, marijuana was seized
more frequently than any other illicit drug in Florida.
Marijuana is still described as widely available
throughout Florida, with local commercial, sinsemilla,
and hydroponic grades available. A pound of
commercial grade marijuana sells for $450–$1,000
per pound. Hydroponic grades sell for $2,500–$4,000
per pound. Commerical grade prices range from $100
to $150 per ounce, while hydroponic grade marijuana
sells for $350–$450 per ounce. Depending on its potency,
marijuana may sell for $5–$18 per gram.
In 2003, current marijuana use was reported in results
of the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey by 17.9
percent of high school students in Broward County
(down from 21.8 percent in 2001) and by 15.8 percent
of high school students in Miami-Dade County
(down from 17 percent in 2001) (exhibit 6). In Palm
Beach County, 22.6 percent of high school students
reported current marijuana use in the same survey.
The proportion for the high school students in all of
Florida was 21.4 percent, compared with 22.4 percent
for students nationwide.
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EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Nationally, the 2004 Monitoring the Future Survey
reported that current marijuana use (defined as any
use within the past 30 days) was reported by 6.4 percent
of 8th graders, 15.9 percent of 10th graders, and
19.9 percent of 12th graders. These percentages reflected
a 1.2-percent decrease for 8th and 10th graders
from the same survey in 2003 and a 1.3-percent
decrease for 12th graders.
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
GHB, an anesthetic, has been a commonly abused
substance in South Florida for the past 8 years. There
are several compounds that are converted by the body
to GHB, including gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and
1,4 butanediol (1,4 BD). Most recently, GHB abuse
involves the abuse of 1,4 BD. Indicators of abuse of
these drugs continue to decline. Commonly used with
alcohol, they have been implicated in drug-facilitated
rapes and other crimes. They have a short duration of
action and are not easily detectable on routine hospital
toxicology screens. GHB was declared a federally
controlled Schedule I drug in March 2000, and indicators
of its abuse have declined since that time.
More recently, GHB and its related substances are
reported to be used by those seeking to come down
from stimulant effects of methamphetamine.
There were four GHB-related deaths statewide during
the first half of 2004. The drug was considered the
cause of death in three (75 percent) of these cases.
There were 5 GHB-related deaths reported statewide
during the second half of 2003 and 11 GHB-related
deaths in all of 2003, 3 (27 percent) of which were
considered to have been caused by the drug. In all of
Florida, GHB-related deaths increased from 23 in
2000 to 28 in 2001 and then declined to 19 in 2002
and again in 2003 to 11.
Unweighted data accessed from DAWN Live! for
Miami-Dade County show 12 GHB-related ED reports
in the first half of 2004. One-half of the patients
were male, 80 percent were White, non-Hispanic, and
20 percent were Hispanic. Five of the patients (42
percent) were age 21–24; 33 percent were age 25–34,
and 25 percent were older than 35.
From the previous tracking system for drug-related
hospital ED episodes in Broward County, there had
been a dramatic decrease in the number of GHB
emergency department cases treated in emergency
departments from 2000 to 2003. The Broward General
Medical Center Emergency Department treated
three people with GHB or GHB precursor overdose
in 1996. The number of these cases increased to 48 in
1999 and peaked at 77 in 2000. There were 71 GHB
cases in 2001 and 34 cases in 2002. In 2003, there
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005