Rates of Drug Use

• Among 12 to 17 year olds in the United States (SAMHSA, 2004):

  • 34.5% have used tobacco in their lifetime, 14.4% in the past month.
  • 42.9% have used alcohol in their lifetime, 17.7% in the past month.
  • 30.5% have used an “illicit” drug in their lifetime, 11.2% in the past month.

• Among 12th graders in the United States (Johnston, 2004):

  • 54% have tried cigarettes in their lifetime, 24% current smokers.
  • 77% have consumed alcohol, 48% in the past month.
  • 51% have tried an illicit drug in their lifetime.

• Findings and recommendations for more effective drug education (Skager, 2004):

  • Drug Use remains common among high-school students.
  • 77% have consumed alcohol, 48% in the past month.
  • Abstinence for all is unrealistic. – give safety information.

Perceived availability of drugs

• Among 12 to 17 year olds in the United States (Johnston, 2004):

  • 87.1% say that marijuana is fairly/very easy to get.
  • 94.2% say alcohol is fairly/very easy to get.
  • 43.4% say cocaine is fairly/very easy to get.

Problems associated with alcohol and tobacco

• Approximately 22.5 percent of adults were current smokers in 2002 (CDC, 2004).

• Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Every year, more than 400,000 die from cigarette smoking, 20% of deaths in the US are related to smoking.

• The most commonly abused drug, and the one that the largest number of people are addicted to, is alcohol.

• In 2003, approximately 55% of U.S adults reported drinking at least one drink in the past month (SAMHSA, 2004).

• In any one year nearly 4.5% of people in the US, could be given a diagnosis of alcoholism, compared to 1.8% for other drug dependence. Alcohol use is a leading risk factor in the three leading causes of death among youth: unintentional injuries, suicides and homicides.

• Binge drinking is associated with a number of adverse health effects, including unintentional injuries (e.g., motor vehicle crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and hypothermia); violence (homicide, suicide, child abuse, domestic violence); sudden infant death syndrome; alcohol poisoning; hypertension; myocardial infarction; gastritis; pancreitis; sexually transmitted diseases; meningitis; and poor control of diabetes (CDC, 2004).

• 85,000 deaths (3.5% of all deaths) were directly and indirectly caused by alcohol consumption, in 2000 (Mokdad, 2004).

Problems associated with illegal drugs

• 17,000 deaths (0.71% of all deaths) were directly and indirectly caused by illicit drug use, in 2000 (Mokdad, 2004).

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004). Cigarette Smoking Among Adults-United States, 2002. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2004, 53(19), 427-431.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004). General Alcohol Information. viewed 11/25/2004: www.cdc.gov/alcohol/factsheets/general_information.htm

Johnston, L. D.; O’Malley, P. M.; and Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2004). Monitoring the Future: National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings, 2003. Pub. No. 04-5506. Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Mokdad, A., et al. (2004). Actual Causes of Death in the United States: 2000. Journal of the American Medical Association, 291(10), 238-245.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2004). Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings. Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-25, DHHS Publication No. SMA 04-3964. Rockville, MD.

Skager, R. (2004). Findings and Recommendations for More Effective Drug Education for Children and Youth: Honesty, Respect and Assistance When Needed. Publication of the Drug Policy Alliance and Safety First. Request copies from www.safety1st.org