Drug prices and emergency department mentions for cocaine and heroin

Objectives. In this report, the author illustrates the historic relation be tween retail drug prices and emergency department mentions for cocaine and heroin. Methods. Price series based on the Drug Enforcement Administration's System to Retrieve Information From Drug Evidence database were correlated with d ata on emergency department mentions from the Drug Abuse Warning Network fo r cocaine (1978-1996) and heroin (1981-1996). Results. A simple model in which emergency department mentions are driven b y only prices explains more than 95% of the variation in emergency departme nt mentions. Conclusions. Fluctuations in prices are an important determinant of adverse health outcomes associated with drugs.