Decline Continues in Youth Drug Use

SAMHSA recently announced that current illicit drug use among youth age 12 to 17 continues to decline. The rate has been moving downward from 11.6 percent using drugs in the past month in 2002 to 11.2 percent in 2003, 10.6 percent in 2004, and 9.9 percent in 2005.

This initial report from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) was released at the annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month observance (see SAMHSA News article, Recovery Month!).

The report, Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, focuses on significant trends since 2002 in substance abuse and mental health problems.

Similarly, the rate of current marijuana use among youth age 12 to 17 declined significantly from 8.2 percent in 2002 to 6.8 percent in 2005, and the average age of first use of marijuana increased from under 17 years of age in 2003 to 17.4 years in 2005.

Furthermore, drinking among teens declined, with 16.5 percent of youth age 12 to 17 reporting current alcohol use and 9.9 percent reporting binge drinking. This compares with 17.6 percent of this age group reporting drinking in 2004 and 11.1 percent reporting binge drinking in the past month in 2004.

These declines in alcohol use by youth age 12 to 17 follow years of relatively unchanged rates.

For young adults age 18 to 25, the picture is mixed. While there were no significant changes in overall past-month use of any illicit drugs in this age group between 2002 and 2005, cocaine use increased from 2.0 percent in 2002 to 2.6 percent in 2005. Past-month non-medical use of prescription drugs among young adults increased from 5.4 percent in 2002 to 6.3 percent in 2005, due largely to an increase in non-medical use of narcotic pain relievers.

The baby boomer generation presents a different story. Among adults age 50 to 59, the rate of current illicit drug use increased from 2.7 percent to 4.4 percent between 2002 and 2005.

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Past-Month Use of Selected Illicit Drugs Among Youth Age 12 to 17: 2002-2005

+=Difference between estimate and the 2005 estimate is statistically significant ast the .05 level.

Source: SAMHSA Office of Applied Studies. Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, 2006, page 18.

More Survey Findings

Marijuana. There were 14.6 million past-month users of marijuana in 2005. Among those age 12 and older, the rate of past-month marijuana use was about the same in 2005 (6.0 percent) as in 2004 (6.1 percent), 2003 (6.2 percent), and 2002 (6.2 percent).

Prescription Drugs. There were 6.4 million persons age 12 and older (2.6 percent) who used prescription drugs non-medically in the past month. Of these, 4.7 million used narcotic pain relievers, 1.8 million used tranquilizers, 1.1 million used stimulants (including 512,000 who used methamphetamine), and 272,000 used sedatives. Each of these estimates is similar to the estimates for 2004.

Those who used prescription drugs non-medically were asked how they obtained the drugs they used most recently. In 2005, the prevalent source for drugs used non-medically was “from a friend or relative for free” (59.8 percent). Another 16.8 percent reported obtaining the drug from one doctor, while 4.3 percent reported getting narcotic pain relievers from a drug dealer or other stranger, and 0.8 percent reported buying the drug on the Internet.

Methamphetamine. From 2002 to 2005, decreases were seen in lifetime (5.3 to 4.3 percent) and past-year (0.7 to 0.5 percent) methamphetamine use, but not past-month use (0.3 percent in 2002 vs. 0.2 percent in 2005) for those age 12 and older.

Alcohol. More than one-fifth (22.7 percent) of persons age 12 and older participated in binge drinking in 2005, which is comparable to the 2004 estimate. Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the 30 days prior to being surveyed.

Prevention Measures. Current marijuana use was much less prevalent among youth who perceived strong parental disapproval for trying marijuana or hashish once or twice than for those who did not (4.6 percent vs. 27.0 percent).

Substance Dependence or Abuse. In 2005, an estimated 22.2 million persons (9.1 percent of the population age 12 and 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 (DSM-IV). Of these, 3.3 million were dependent on or abused both alcohol and illicit drugs; 3.6 million were dependent on or abused illicit drugs but not alcohol; and 15.4 million were dependent on or abused alcohol, but not illicit drugs. These numbers are basically unchanged since 2002.

Adults age 21 and older who had first used alcohol before age 21 were almost five times more likely than adults who had their first drink at age 21 or older to be classified with alcohol dependence or abuse (9.6 percent compared to 2.1 percent).

Co-occurring Substance Use and Serious Psychological Distress. Serious psychological distress among adults age 18 and older was associated with past-year substance dependence or abuse in 2005. Among the 24.6 million adults with serious psychological distress in 2005, 21.3 percent (5.2 million) were dependent on or abused illicit drugs or alcohol. The rate of substance dependence or abuse among adults without serious psychological distress was 7.7 percent (14.9 million people).

Depression. In 2005, 15.8 million adults (7.3 percent of persons age 18 and older) reported a major depressive episode in the past year, a statistically significant decline from the 17.1 million adults (8 percent) reporting past-year major depressive episodes in 2004.

There were 2.2 million youth (8.8 percent) who experienced a major depressive episode during the past year. Among youth age 12 to 17, the occurrence of a major depressive episode in the past year was associated with a higher prevalence of illicit drug or alcohol dependence or abuse (19.8 percent), compared with the prevalence among youth who did not report past-year major depressive episodes (6.9 percent).

The full report of the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health is available on the SAMHSA Web site at www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k5NSDUH/2k5results.htm.

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