LATEST SUBSTANCE USE REPORT HAS GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

Maybe the baby boomers should listen to their kids. Between 2002 and 2005, the percentage of people aged 50 to 59 who used illicit drugs increased from 2.7 percent to 4.4 percent, according to the federal government’s latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

In contrast, the percentage of youth aged 12 to 17 who used illicit drugs declined, from 11.6 percent in 2002, to 9.9 percent in 2005.

Alcohol remains the substance of choice. Slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older (126 million people) said they were current drinkers; 55 million said they participated in binge drinking (defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion).

The most popular illicit drug was marijuana; in 2004, 14.6 million Americans (nearly 75 percent of all current illicit drug users) used marijuana. In 2005, nearly 20 million Americans (8.1 percent of the population) were illicit drug users.

Rates of substance abuse or dependence were highest in the West (9.7 percent), followed by the Midwest (9.6 percent), the South (8.8 percent), and the Northeast (8.5 percent).

While 2.3 million people received treatment in 2005 for substance use disorders, another 2.9 million individuals said they had tried to get treatment but could not (see chart).

Reasons for Not Receiving Substance Use Treatment among Persons Aged 12 or Older Who Needed and Made an Effort to Get Treatment, 2004-2005 Combined

Latest Substance Abuse Report Has Good News, Bad News

Source: 2005 National Survey on Drug Use & Health, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

For the complete report, go to: http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUHlatest.htm