NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

tion was injection (62.9 percent), followed by sniffing
(31.2 percent), and smoking, also known as “foiling”
(5.9 percent) (exhibit 2). Whites accounted for
59.5 percent in 2004, compared with 51.8 percent in
2003. African-Americans accounted for 32.3 percent
in 2004, compared with 42.9 percent in 2003, and
Hispanics represented 5.6 percent in 2004, compared
with 2.8 percent in 2003.
Five methadone maintenance programs served
roughly 1,500 clients in the metropolitan area. Patients
who were newly enrolled in some of these programs
may be reflected in the treatment data, however,
the private for-profit programs do not report to
DAANES.
Retail heroin prices remained at low levels: $20–$40
per dosage unit or “paper,” and $150–$200 per gram
(exhibit 3). In April 2004, four Nigerians were apprehended
at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International
Airport on a flight from Amsterdam carrying suitcases
filled with 25 pounds of heroin valued at $25
million.
Other Opiates/Narcotics
Prescription narcotic analgesics, used medically in
the treatment of pain, were increasingly used nonmedically
as drugs of abuse for the strong, euphoric,
heroin-like effects. Of particular concern were drugs
containing oxycodone—Percodan, Percocet (oxycodone
combined with aspirin or acetaminophen),
and the long-acting OxyContin.
According to DAWN Live! data, 1,122 reports involved
opioid prescription misuse at emergency departments
in 2004. Of these, 389 (34.6 percent) involved
oxycodone, and 238 (21.2 percent) involved
hydrocodone.
Marijuana
Marijuana indicators continued upward trends that
began more than a decade ago. In the unweighted
data accessed from DAWN Live!, there were 2,058
marijuana-involved reports at emergency departments
in 2004, ranking second only to cocaine (exhibit
1).
Marijuana-related treatment admissions outnumbered
those for any other illicit drug (exhibit 2). One out of
five (21.3 percent) people entering addiction treatment
programs in 2004 reported marijuana as the
primary substance problem, compared with only 8
percent in 1991. More than one-half (51.8 percent)
were age 17 or younger. The average age of first
marijuana use was 13.9 years.
138
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Minneapolis/St. Paul
Marijuana, readily available according to multiple
sources, sold for $5 per joint. Standard, commercial
grade marijuana sold for $50 per quarter ounce.
Prices varied considerably depending on alleged potency,
from $80 to $600 per ounce and $600–$2,400
per pound (exhibit 3). Marijuana joints that are
dipped in formaldehyde, which is often mixed with
phencyclidine (PCP), are known as “wets,” “wet
sticks,” or “water.” Marijuana joints containing crack
cocaine are known as “primos.”
Marijuana use declined among metropolitan area
students in 2004, according to the Minnesota Student
Survey data. Past-year marijuana use was reported by
30.2 percent of high school seniors in 2004, compared
with 33.9 percent in 2001 (exhibit 5).
Methamphetamine/Other Stimulants
Methamphetamine is also known as “meth,” “crystal,”
or “crank,” and amphetamine is known as “speed” or
“crank.” These are long-acting stimulants of abuse.
Prolonged abuse of these long-acting stimulants can
result in addiction, which is often accompanied by
long periods of sleep and food deprivation, agitated
behavior, and pronounced paranoid delusions.
From 2002 to 2003, accidental deaths related to
methamphetamine abuse increased from 3 to 10 in
Ramsey County, with 5 reported in 2004 (through September).
Methamphetamine-related deaths increased
from 11 in 2002 to 15 in 2003 in Hennepin County,
with 13 reported in 2004 (through September).
Hospital ED reports involving methamphetamine
increased steadily over the past few years. In the preliminary
unweighted data for 2004, there were 705
reports involving methamphetamine (exhibit 1). An
additional 143 reports involved amphetamines.
In 2004 (through June), patients addicted to methamphetamine
accounted for an unprecedented 9.5 percent
of total treatment admissions, compared with 7.5
percent in 2003 and only 2.9 percent in 1998. Women
accounted for 37.5 percent, and most were White
(92.1 percent) (exhibit 2). Smoking was the most
common route of methamphetamine use (62.0 percent)
followed by sniffing (21.3 percent).
Methamphetamine abuse among metropolitan-area
students was relatively stable from 2001 to 2004,
according to the Minnesota Student Survey. Past-year
methamphetamine use was reported by 5.0 percent of
high school seniors in 2004, compared with 5.7 percent
in 2001 (exhibit 5). Still, since the beginning of
2004, most onsite, high school-based drug abuse
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005