Drug-related visits vary by city.

• Position: Emergency Room - Brief article

Major metropolitan areas show significant variation in the rates of emergency department visits involving illicit drugs. Boston, Mass., has the highest rate (571 per 100,000 population), followed by New York (555), Chicago, Ill. (507), and Detroit, Mich. (462). By comparison, the national average is 317.

This report, published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Washington, D.C., was drawn from the agency's Drug Abuse Warning Network, a public health surveillance system that monitors drug-related emergency department visits throughout the nation. This information was collected from 11 metropolitan areas, including Denver, Colo.; Miami, Fla. (Dade County and Fort Lauderdale Division); Minneapolis, Minn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; San Francisco, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash.

"When friends, family members, and health professionals miss the signs and symptoms of substance abuse, the results can be devastating," declares Pamela S. Hyde, a SAMHSA administrator. "One consequence is the costly and inefficient use of emergency rooms as a first step to treatment. Substance abuse prevention and...