During that year, a total of 738 hospital emergency rooms (ERs) located primarily in 21 metropolitan areas were affiliated with the DAWN system and reported a total of 160, 170 drug abuse episodes. Eighty-seven medical examiners (MEs) located in 27 metropolitan areas reported a total of 6,756 drug abuse related deaths in 1988. Chapters 2 and 3 summarize the information collected from emergency rooms and medical examiners, respectively, at the total DAWN system level. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 focused on the episode and drug mention patterns for each of the metropolitan areas, the Chapter 5 tables according to selected therapeutic classes, and the chapter 6 tables according to individual drug categories. In addition, this report includes six appendixes designed to provide supplementary data and background information. Appendix I contains supplementary tables of both technical and substantive nature; these table provide information such as the drugs relative to the total number of emergency room visits and deaths for all causes, not simply drug abuse. Appendices II (ER data) and III (ME data) present tabulations of drug mentions by demographic group. Appendix IV presents special tabulations of ME data that are be discussed in detail. Appendix V contains the DAWN data collection forms, and a glossary of terms in provided in Appendix VI. Tables and appendixes