News Release

2003 Survey Found Over 1 Million People Recently Used Stimulants Non-Medically 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today released data showing that an estimated 1.2 million persons ages 12 or older used methamphetamine or prescription stimulants non-medically in the past month in 2003.  The data show that 378,000 Americans met the diagnostic criteria for dependence on or abuse of stimulants in the past year.  Dependence on or abuse of stimulants was most prevalent among young people 12-25.

SAMHSA extracted the data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2003.  The data show that the stimulants most often abused are methamphetamine; prescription diet pills; Ritalin® or methylphenidate; and Dexedrine®.  12.3 million Americans aged 12 and older (5.2 percent of the population) used methamphetamine in their lifetimes, while 8.7 million persons (3.6 percent) used prescription diet pills non-medically; 4.2 million (1.8 percent of the population) used Ritalin® or methylphenidate non-medically; and 2.6 million (1.1 percent of the population) used Dexedrine®.

“Methamphetamine is the most frequently illicitly used stimulant,” SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie noted.  “Our task is to prevent youth and young adults from initiating methamphetamine use that can wreck their minds, their bodies and their futures.”

The data show that there is a higher rate of past month stimulant misuse in the West compared to the Midwest , Northeast or South.  The 2003 survey found that 0.8 percent of the population 12 and older in the West used stimulants in the past month.  The West is composed of 13 states, Alaska , Arizona , California , Colorado , Hawaii , Idaho , Montana , Nevada , New Mexico , Oregon , Utah , Washington and Wyoming .

The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows no statistically significant change in stimulant use in the past month between 2002 and 2003.

The report is available on the web at www.oas.samhsa.gov.

SAMHSA, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States.

This page was last updated on 04 February, 2005
SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service