Claim: In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of emergency room visits due to marijuana use.

Rebuttal: The reason for seeking emergency care may not have anything to do with the marijuana "mention." A mention of past marijuana use becomes a marijuana report in the ER. The numbers quoted come from the DAWN, which has also been coined as "Data About Worthless Numbers," because the information gathered only reflects the drugs consumed by ER patients, the drug mention is NOT necessarily related to the ER visit. Changes in reporting procedures have marred these statistics beyond validity; plus in 1998 54% of ER admissions were criminal justice system referrals.