What is the scope of heroin use in the United States?
According to the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the prevalence of lifetime heroin use increased for both youths and young adults since mid-1990 s. There were an estimated 166,000 current heroin users, while 4.4 million used pain relievers. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of first-time heroin users was consistently greater than 100,000 each year. The 2002 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects data on drug-related hospital emergency department (ED) episodes from 21 metropolitan areas, estimates that 36 percent of all drug-related ED episodes involved heroin. Even more alarming is the fact that between 1991 and 1996, heroin-related ED episodes more than doubles (from 35,898 to 73,846). Among youths aged 12 to 17, heroin-related episodes nearly quadrupled.
According to the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the prevalence of lifetime heroin use increased for both youths and young adults since mid-1990 s. There were an estimated 166,000 current heroin users, while 4.4 million used pain relievers. Between 1995 and 2001, the number of first-time heroin users was consistently greater than 100,000 each year. The 2002 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects data on drug-related hospital emergency department (ED) episodes from 21 metropolitan areas, estimates that 36 percent of all drug-related ED episodes involved heroin. Even more alarming is the fact that between 1991 and 1996, heroin-related ED episodes more than doubles (from 35,898 to 73,846). Among youths aged 12 to 17, heroin-related episodes nearly quadrupled. NIDA’s Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), which provides information about the nature and patterns of drug use in 21 cities, reported in its December 1999 publication that heroin was mentioned most ofte
