CEWG January 09 Full Report - National Institute on Drug Abuse

Section III. <strong>CEWG</strong> Area Update Briefs and International Presentations
intentional, unintentional, adverse reaction, other,
or unknown. Most of the exposures involve intentional
abuse/misuse/suspected suicide, but all were
captured in the data set. All exposure cases are for
human cases only; animal cases were excluded, as
were “confirmed” nonexposure cases. Drug seizure
data were provided by the Cincinnati Police
Department and the RENU for illicit drugs seized
in Hamilton County. Forensic laboratory data
were provided by the <strong>National</strong> Forensic Laboratory
Information System for FY 2008. Additional qualitative
and drug seizure data were provided by the
Greater Warren County Drug Task Force. Methamphetamine
clandestine lab data were provided
by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and
Investigation.
Drug Abuse Patterns and Trends in
Colorado and the Denver/Boulder
Metropolitan Area—Update:
<strong>January</strong> 20<strong>09</strong>
Bruce Mendelson, M.P.A.
For inquiries concerning this report, please contact
Bruce Mendelson, M.P.A., Senior Data Consultant,
Denver Department of Human Services, Offce of
Drug Strategy, 1200 Federal Boulevard, Denver,
CO 80204, Phone: 720–944–2158, Fax:720–944–
3083, E-mail: bruce.mendelson@denvergov.org.
Overview of Findings: With mostly stable
or increasing trends, marijuana continued to be a
major drug of abuse in Colorado and the Denver/
Boulder metropolitan area based on treatment
admissions, hospital discharges, law enforcement
drug testing, emergency department (ED)
visits, and adult and juvenile arrests. Likewise,
with mostly stable or increasing trends, cocaine
continued to be at or near the top of Colorado
and Denver/Boulder area indicators, including
treatment admissions, hospital discharges,
ED visits, drug-related mortality, poison center
calls, and law enforcement drug testing. Conversely,
among Colorado and Denver/Boulder
area indicators, methamphetamine presented
more of a mixed picture, with stable or downward
treatment admissions, declining lab seizures,
and relatively small proportions of ED visits and
drug-related mortality. Many heroin abuse indicators
decreased over the last several years, while
poison calls remained stable. However, it is likely
that Denver heroin deaths are under-reported.
Statewide and in the Denver/Boulder area, other
opiates were a small but increasing percentage of
treatment admissions, and were a substantial proportion
of ED visits, and drug-related mortality.
Beyond abuse of illicit drugs, alcohol remained
Colorado’s most frequently abused substance and
accounted for the most treatment admissions, ED
reports, poison center calls, drug-related hospital
discharges, and drug-related mortality.
Updated Drug Abuse Trends and Emerging
Patterns: Excluding alcohol, marijuana continued
to be the primary drug of abuse statewide
and in greater Denver. During the first half of
2008, it represented 37 percent of drug treatment
admissions in Colorado, an increase from 34 percent
during the first half of 2007. Marijuana accounted
for 38 percent of Denver area admissions
in the first half of 2008, an increase from 36 percent
in the first half of 2007. In the first half of
2008, there were 1,200 unweighted marijuana
Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) ED reports
in greater Denver, representing 25.5 percent
of the reports (excluding alcohol) and ranking
third behind cocaine and nonheroin opiates.
Marijuana ranked second in 2007 Denver County
hospital discharges (N=1,050; rate per
100,000=181), but both the number and rate of
such discharges declined from the 2006 peak
(N=1,188; rate per 100,000=207). Also, cannabis
was the second most common drug submitted for
testing by local law enforcement in the first half of
2008 (<strong>January</strong>–June) in Denver and Arapahoe
Counties, and ranked first in Jefferson County.
Federal drug seizures for marijuana across Colorado,
after being relatively stable from 2003 (444.1
kilograms) to 2006 (656.8 kilograms), nearly doubled
to 1,149.5 kilograms in 2007. Total adult and
juvenile marijuana arrests in Denver (both sales
and possession) decreased from 3,235 in 2000 to
Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, <strong>January</strong> 20<strong>09</strong> 43