One of the most comprehensive surveys on drug using behavior in The United States, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, conducted by SAMHSA polls approximately 67,500 US residents about their use of illicit drugs. The results of the 2009 survey -- while not in any way surprising compared to clinical observation in the community – are a solid reminder that illicit drug use remains a real issue, not only for teenagers and young adults, but for society in general.
Here are the highlights:
(Taken from: Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Volume I. Summary of National Findings.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Office of Applied Studies -- http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduhLatest.htm)
In General:
- 8.7% of Americans 12 years and older (21.8 million people) used illicit drugs in the past month in 2009 – an increase of 0.7% from 2008;
- The rate of illicit drug use among 12-17 year-olds increased from 9.3% to 10% from 2008 – 2009, an increase of 0.7%.
- Marijuana is the most commonly used drug followed by: psychotherapeutics (sedatives, painkillers, stimulants), cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants, and heroin.
- Nonmedical use of prescription drugs is on the rise among 18-25 year-olds:
- The rate was 5.5% in 2002 and is 6.3% in 2009. The increase was mainly accounted for by abuse of painkillers.
- Of those 12 and older who abused painkillers (opiates) in the past month:
- 55% obtained them from friends or relatives;
- 17% obtained them from a single doctor;
- 5% obtained them from a drug dealer;
- 0.4% obtained them from the internet.
- The rate of illicit drug use rose among adults aged 50 – 59, from 2.7% in 2002 to 6.2% in 2009.
- Rates of two drugs: cocaine and methamphetamine decreased. Cocaine use decreased from 2.0% in 2008 to 1.4% in 2009, and methamphetamine decreased from 0.6% in 2008 to 0.2% in 2009.
Treatment and diagnostic-related statistics:
- In 2009, an estimated 22.5 million persons (8.9 percent of the population aged 12 or older) were classified with substance dependence or abuse in the past year based on criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSMIV). Of these, 3.2 million were classified with dependence on or abuse of both alcohol and illicit drugs, 3.9 million were dependent on or abused illicit drugs but not alcohol, and 15.4million were dependent on or abused alcohol but not illicit drugs.
- In 2009, adults aged 21 or older who had first used alcohol at age 14 or younger were more than 6 times as likely to be classified with alcohol dependence or abuse than adults who had their first drink at age 21 or older (16.5 vs. 2.5 percent).
- In 2009, 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem (9.3 percent of persons aged 12 or older). Of these, 2.6 million (1.0 percent of persons aged 12 or older and 11.2 percent of those who needed treatment) received treatment at a specialty facility. Thus, 20.9 million persons (8.3 percent of the population aged 12 or older) needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive treatment at a specialty substance abuse facility in the past year.
- In 2009, there were 180,000 persons who used heroin for the first time within the past year, significantly more than the average annual number from 2002 to 2008. Estimates during those years ranged from 91,000 to 118,000 per year.
- In 2009, an estimated 3.1 million persons aged 12 or older used an illicit drug for the first time within the past 12 months. This averages to about 8,500 initiates per day and is similar to the estimate for 2008 (2.9 million). A majority of these past year illicit drug initiates reported that their first drug was marijuana (59.1 percent). Nearly one third initiated with psychotherapeutics (28.6 percent, including 17.1 percent with pain relievers, 8.6 percent with tranquilizers, 2.0 percent with stimulants, and 1.0 percent with sedatives). A sizable proportion reported inhalants (9.8 percent) as their first.
Alcohol:
- Slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2009 survey (51.9 percent). This translates to an estimated 130.6 million people, which is similar to the 2008 estimate of 129.0 million people (51.6 percent).
- Among young adults aged 18 to 25 in 2009, the rate of binge drinking was 41.7 percent, and the rate of heavy drinking was 13.7 percent. These rates were similar to the rates in 2008.
- The rate of current alcohol use among youths aged 12 to 17 was 14.7 percent in 2009, which is similar to the 2008 rate (14.6 percent). Youth binge and heavy drinking rates in 2009 (8.8 and 2.1 percent) were also similar to rates in 2008 (8.8 and 2.0 percent).
Tobacco:
- The rate of past month tobacco use among 12 to 17 year olds remained steady from 2008 to 2009 (11.4 and 11.6 percent, respectively). The rate of past month cigarette use among 12 to 17 year olds also remained steady between 2008 and 2009 (9.1 and 8.9 percent, respectively) but declined since 2002 when the rate was 13.0 percent. However, past month smokeless tobacco use among youths increased from 2.0 percent in 2002 to 2.3 percent in 2009.
Scott Bienenfeld, M.D., Medical Director – New York Center For Living