The combined data from 2 years of SAMHSA’s National
Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) show that 10.4
percent of all persons age 12 or older reported marijuana
use in the past year. Young adults reported the highest
rate of past-year use of marijuana (28.0 percent).
Vermont had the highest rates of past-year and past-month
marijuana use among persons age 12 or older (15.5 percent
and 9.7 percent, respectively). Vermont also had the
highest rates of past-year and past-month marijuana
use among persons age 18 to 25 (41.9 percent and 28.3
percent, respectively).
In contrast, Utah had the lowest rates of past-year
and past-month marijuana use among persons age 18 to
25 (18.9 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively), and
that state also had the lowest rates of past-year and
past-month marijuana use among persons age 12 or older
(4.3 percent).
During 2005 to 2006, 5.0 percent of all people age
12 or older reported having used pain relievers nonmedically
in the past year—an increase of 4.8 percent over
the previous period of 2004 to 2005. (See SAMHSA
News online, November/December
2007 and January/February
2008.)
Substance Dependence and Abuse
Past-year dependence on or abuse of alcohol remained
unchanged between 2004 to 2005 and 2005 to 2006 at 7.7
percent for all persons age 12 or older.
Nationally, in 2005 to 2006, about 2.8 percent of people
age 12 or older were dependent on or had abused illicit
drugs in the past year. Among youth age 12 to 17, the
rate of illicit drug dependence or abuse was 4.7 percent
in 2005 to 2006, down from 5.0 percent in 2004 to 2005.
Eight states that ranked in the highest fifth for past-year
alcohol dependence or abuse also ranked in the top fifth
for past-year dependence on or abuse of alcohol or illicit
drugs among people age 12 or older (Colorado, District
of Columbia, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota,
South Dakota, and Wyoming).
In 2005 to 2006, 11.3 percent of adults age 18 or older
reported experiencing serious psychological distress
(SPD). Nationally the rate of adults age 18 to 25 experiencing
SPD decreased from 19.4 percent in 2004 to 2005 to 18.1
percent in 2005 to 2006.
The rate of people age 18 or older having a past-year
major depressive episode (MDE) was 7.3 percent, a decrease
from 2004 to 2005 (7.7 percent). For this population,
Nevada had the highest rate (9.4 percent) of experiencing
MDE in the past year, and Hawaii had the lowest rate
(5.0 percent).
In addition, in 2005 to 2006, there were national-level
decreases in MDE rates among youth age 12 to 17 and
adults age 18 to 25 as compared to levels in 2004 to
2005.
Recent state data (2005 to 2006) include the following:
Past-month alcohol use. Among all persons age 12 or
older, the rate of past-month alcohol use ranged from
a low of 32.4 percent in Utah to a high of 63.1 percent
in Wisconsin.
Binge alcohol use. The rate of binge alcohol use among
youth age 12 to 17 decreased from 10.5 percent in 2004
to 2005 to 10.1 percent in 2005 to 2006. However, the
rates among young adults age 18 to 25 and those age 26
and older did not change. The highest rate of binge drinking
occurred among people age 18 to 25, with North Dakota
posting the highest rate in the age group (56.5 percent).
Underage drinking. At the national
level, no significant change occurred in underage alcohol
use between 2004 to 2005 and 2005 to 2006. Past-month
underage drinking ranged from a low of 21.5 percent in
Utah to a high of 38.3 percent in Vermont. Georgia had
the lowest rate for past-month underage binge drinking,
and North Dakota had the highest rate (28.5 percent).
