NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

The FY 2004 racial distribution for marijuana admissions
(29 percent White, 47 percent Black, and 20
percent Hispanic/Latino) was relatively stable from
FY 2003.
Eleven percent of marijuana primary drug admissions
reported being homeless in FY 2004.
There were 1,366 Class D (mainly marijuana) drug
arrests in 2003 (exhibit 5). The proportion of Class D
arrests among all drug arrests (32.7 percent) in the
city of Boston in 2003 was stable from 2002, but it
reflected a 14-percent increase from 2001.
The proportion of White Class D arrests (32 percent)
in 2003 reflected a 12-percent decrease from 2002, a
15-percent decrease from 2001, and a 25-percent
decrease from 1997. The proportion of Black Class D
arrests (66 percent) increased 7, 9, and 19 percent,
respectively, during the same periods.
There were 3,348 seized samples of marijuana, more
than any other drug analyzed by the drug lab in 2003.
The proportion of marijuana samples analyzed in
2003 (36 percent of all drug samples) was similar to
2002.
Marijuana was self-identified as a substance of abuse
in 253 calls to the Helpline in FY 2004 (representing
5 percent of all calls).
The DEA’s most recent data reports that marijuana is
readily available in Massachusetts and sells for $800–
$1,500 per pound for “commercial grade.” A marijuana
cigarette or joint typically costs $5 (exhibit 6).
Benzodiazepines
As a group, benzodiazepines are showing high levels
of abuse.
Benzodiazepines were mentioned 52 times among the
419 drug abuse deaths in 2002. This number is down
considerably from the 136 mentions among 374 drug
abuse deaths in 2001.
Boston’s 2002 rate of 102 benzodiazepines ED mentions
per 100,000 population was highest among all
21 DAWN sites and nearly 2½ times the national rate
of 42.
In the unweighted DAWN Live! data for the first half
of 2004, there were 755 benzodiazepine reports.
Clonazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam, and diazepam
were the most often indicated benzodiazepines in
preliminary ED data for the first half of 2004.
42
EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Greater Boston
Treatment, arrest, and drug lab data are currently
unavailable for benzodiazepines.
In FY 2004, there were 175 calls to the Helpline during
which benzodiazepines (including Ativan, Valium,
Xanax, Klonopin, Rohypnol, Halcion, and
others) were self-identified as substances of abuse
(representing 3 percent of all calls). The number and
proportion of Helpline call mentions attributable to
benzodiazepines remained fairly stable from FY 2000
to FY 2004.
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
MDMA (ecstasy) indicators show relatively low and
stable levels of abuse.
In 2002, there were an estimated 116 MDMA ED
mentions (down slightly from 140 in 2001) (exhibit
1). Of these, 59 percent were among males and 79
percent were among those younger than 26.
The unweighted data from DAWN Live! for the first
half of 2004 show only 40 MDMA reports.
Drug lab submissions show the number of MDMA
samples peaked at 106 in 2000 then dropped to 56
(fewer than 1 percent of the 9,219 total samples) in
2003.
In FY 2004, there were 24 calls to the Helpline during
which MDMA was self-identified as a substance
of abuse (representing less than 1 percent of all mentions).
The number of Helpline MDMA calls decreased
44 percent from FY 2000 to FY 2004.
The most recent DEA data show that one MDMA
tablet costs between $20 and $25 retail (exhibit 6).
Distributed at clubs and on college campuses,
MDMA has remained widely available “in spite of
law enforcement seizures.”
Other Drugs
Amphetamines
The 2002 rate of 15 mentions per 100,000 population
was the highest amphetamines ED mentions rate that
Boston experienced in 8 years of DAWN reporting.
Unweighted DAWN data for the first half of 2004
show 84 amphetamine reports.
The numbers of amphetamine lab samples (methamphetamine
included) increased from 2000 to 2002 (totaling
4, 25, and 42, respectively), but they remained
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005