NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE EPIDEMIOLOGIC ...

EPIDEMIOLOGIC TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE—Chicago
Patterns and Trends of Drug Abuse in Chicago
Dita Broz, M.P.H., Matthew Magee, Wayne Wiebel, Ph.D., and Lawrence Ouellet, Ph.D. 1
ABSTRACT
Most indicators suggest that heroin and cocaine
continue to pose a serious problem for Chicago and
Illinois. The rate for heroin ED mentions and the
number of heroin-related deaths in 2002 were the
highest among the 21 DAWN metropolitan areas.
Treatment episodes increased between 2000 and
2003, indicating continued high levels of heroin
use. The purity of street-level heroin decreased between
2001 and 2003 from about 24 percent to 16
percent, though ethnographic reports suggest a recent
increase. Many cocaine indicators remain the
highest for all substances except alcohol. Cocainerelated
treatment episodes increased between FYs
2002 and 2003 by 20 percent, and increases in use
among students enrolled in the Chicago public
schools, especially among eighth graders, were observed
in 2002 and 2003. Methamphetamine indicators
continued to show low but increasing levels of
use in some areas of Chicago, especially on the
north side, where young gay men and clubgoers
congregate. Methamphetamine use is significantly
higher in downstate Illinois. MDMA (ecstasy) ED
mentions decreased 60 percent between 2000 and
2002, but increases in use have recently been reported
among young African-Americans. LSD and
PCP indicators suggest a downward trend in use.
The proportion of new AIDS cases attributed to injection
drug use peaked at 33 percent in 1996 and
then steadily decreased to 24 percent as of 2002.
Prospective studies of young heroin users in Chicago
conducted by the authors of this report suggest
a low HIV and HCV seroprevalence, but many engage
in receptive sharing of injecting and snorting
equipment, placing them at high risk for acquiring
these infections.
INTRODUCTION
Area Description
The 2000 U.S. census estimated the population of
Chicago at 2.9 million, Cook County (which includes
Chicago) at 5.4 million, and the metropolitan statistical
area (MSA) at slightly more than 8 million
(ranking third in the Nation). The city population
1 The authors are affiliated with the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health, Chicago, Illinois.
declined 4 percent between 1970 and 1980 and another
7 percent in the 1980s. Based on 2000 census
data, the city population increased about 4 percent
between 1990 and 2000. The number of Hispanics
living in Chicago increased 38 percent during this
period, while the number of Whites and African-
Americans declined by 14 and 2 percent, respectively.
According to the 2000 census, the Chicago population
is 36 percent African-American, 31 percent
White, 26 percent Hispanic, and 4 percent Asian-
American/Pacific Islander. In 2000, the median age
of Chicagoans was 31.5, with 26 percent of the population
younger than 18 and 10 percent age 65 or
older. The unemployment rate is 6.2 percent, and the
percentage of families below the poverty level with
children younger than 18 years is 11.4 percent.
Data Sources
During this reporting period, the majority of local and
national datasets traditionally used in this report had
not been updated. In addition, the Drug Abuse Warning
Network (DAWN) recently restructured its data
collection methods, and, as a result, estimates produced
as of 2003 are not comparable to previous
years. Given these limitations, this paper attempts to
provide a meaningful summary of previously reported
trends and introduces more recent data primarily
collected from analytical and ethnographic studies
conducted by the authors. Below is a detailed review
of the various data sources:
• Drug-related mortality data were derived from
the DAWN, Office of Applied Studies (OAS),
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), mortality system for
1998–2002. The DAWN system covered 56 percent
of the MSA jurisdictions and 92 percent of
the MSA population in 2000. Data on pediatric
toxicity were available from the Illinois Department
of Public Health (IDPH) Adverse Pregnancy
Outcome Reporting System (APORS) reports
through 2002. Data on deaths related to accidental
drug poisonings were provided by the Chicago
Department of Public Health (1980–2002).
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, Vol. II, January 2005 51