A new research shows that 90.7 percent emergency room patients who took drugs other than marijuana were problematic drug users.
Researchers of this study stated that 46.6 percent of the patients who primarily smoked pot were problem drug users.
DrugScope explains that problematic drug usage refers to drugs which are either dependent or recreational. The main problem is not the frequency of drug use but the effects that substance abuse have on the user's life. They might experience social, financial, psychological, physical or legal problems as a result of their drug use.
"Of patients who reported any drug use in the previous 30 days, nearly two-thirds were identified as problem drug users," said lead study author Wendy Macias-Konstantopoulos, MD, MPH, or the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
"These patients also tended to require many more medical resources in the emergency department. Identifying which patients have problematic drug use is an important first step for emergency providers who are in a unique position to intervene and mitigate the effects of drug abuse," she said in a press release.
The researchers surveyed 3,240 patients who were asked to answer the Tobacco, Alcohol, Drug Questionnaire.
The research team found that 64.3 percent met the criteria for problematic drug use. Those who did drugs other than pot and were identified as problem drug users were more likely to be 30 or older and had a resource-intense ER triage level.
Pot smokers who were categorized as problem drug users were more likely to be younger than 30. Both cannabis and non-cannabis users identified as problem drug users were more likely to smoke, drink daily or binge drink alcohol and use drugs daily.
"Emergency patients with unmet substance abuse treatment needs incur higher health care costs than their counterparts," said Dr. Macias-Konstantopoulos. "Patients with drug problems who visit the ER may present 'teachable moments'. An emergency department-based effort to connect problematic drug users with treatment could ultimately decrease overall health care costs."
The study was published in the journal 'Annals of Emergency Medicine'.
