Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse have formed a group called the Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) to monitor drug abuse trends in 21 major cities in the United States. Investigators found that in 1999, the most recent year fully analyzed, heroin and morphine abuse is on the increase in 15 of these cities. Overall, emergency room visits associated with heroin use increased 51.4% in the 18-to 25-year-old category between 1997 and 1999. It is known that hydromorphone and oxycodone are commonly substituted for heroin and morphine by many drug abusers.

A study in the April 5, 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that hydromorphone use for medical indications increased by 19% from 1990 to 1996. This increase coincided with an decrease in the number of hydromorphone drug abuse mentions during this period. The decrease in hydromorphone drug abuse (15%) suggests a low risk of addiction associated with the...