CEWG January 09 Full Report - National Institute on Drug Abuse

EpidEmiologic TrEnds in drug AbusE: HigHligHTs And ExEcuTivE summAry
Marijuana/Cannabis
• Percentages of primary marijuana treatment admissions, including primary alcohol admissions,
were highest in the first half of 2008 in Cincinnati (30.2 percent), followed by Miami/Dade County
(26.9 percent), and Denver (24.3 percent). The lowest proportions of such admissions were in
Boston (3.1 percent) (table 11; appendix table 1).
• Marijuana did not rank first as the primary drug problem in total drug admissions (including
alcohol admissions) in any <strong>CEWG</strong> area; however, marijuana ranked second in 8 of 21 <strong>CEWG</strong> areas,
covering all four regions (section II, table 2).
• Cannabis/marijuana ranked first in frequency in the proportion of drug items identified in
forensic laboratories in the first half of 2008 in 8 of 22 <strong>CEWG</strong> areas. These areas are Boston,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, St. Louis, Phoenix, San Diego, and Maryland (table 1). The highest
proportions of marijuana items identified were in Chicago, San Diego, and St. Louis, at
approximately 56, 51, and 50 percent, respectively (figure 19; appendix table 2).
Treatment Admission Data on Marijuana
In the first half of 2008 reporting period, marijuana/cannabis
did not rank as the most frequently
reported drug by primary treatment
admissions in any <strong>CEWG</strong> area, when primary
alcohol admissions were included in the total
(section II, table 2). However, marijuana ranked
second among primary drugs of admission in
Miami/Dade County, Philadelphia, Cincinnati,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Denver, and the
States of Colorado and Texas (section II, table 2).
As shown in table 11, Cincinnati had the
highest percentage of primary marijuana treatment
admissions, including primary alcohol
admissions, at 30.2 percent. In all, three other
<strong>CEWG</strong> areas, besides Cincinnati, had percentages
of marijuana treatment admissions close to
one-quarter: Miami/Dade County (26.9 percent),
Denver (24.3 percent), and Philadelphia (23.7
percent). The lowest proportions of marijuana
treatment admissions was reported in Boston, at
3.1 percent.
Forensic Laboratory Data on Marijuana
Chicago had the highest percentage of marijuana
identified by NFLIS laboratories in the first half
of 2008 (55.9 percent), followed by San Diego
(50.6 percent) (figure 19 and appendix table 2).
The proportions of cannabis drug items identified
in the other 20 <strong>CEWG</strong> areas were highest in St.
Louis (49.9 percent), Detroit (46.0 percent), Cincinnati
(44.7 percent), Boston (43.4 percent), and
Phoenix (40.3 percent). The remaining <strong>CEWG</strong>
sites had percentages ranging from 1.5 percent
(Atlanta) 8 to 37.9 percent (Maryland) for cannabis
drug items identified (figure 19).
Cannabis ranked in either first or second place
among drug items most frequently identified in all
<strong>CEWG</strong> areas, with the exception of Atlanta, in the
first half of 2008. Cannabis ranked in first place
among identified drugs in 8 of 22 <strong>CEWG</strong> areas
in the period: Maryland, Boston, Detroit, Chicago,
St. Louis, Cincinnati, San Diego, and Phoenix.
It was the second most frequently identified
drug item in the first half of 2008 NFLIS data in
another 13 <strong>CEWG</strong> areas (section II, table 1). This
represents a change for Atlanta and Minneapolis/
8
In 2004, Georgia initiated a statewide administrative policy that when cannabis is seized by law enforcement offcers, laboratory
testing is not required. This results in artificially low numbers of such drug items identified in this <strong>CEWG</strong> area relative to
other <strong>CEWG</strong> areas.
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Proceedings of the Community Epidemiology Work Group, <strong>January</strong> 20<strong>09</strong>