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Date: September 29 , 2006
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press
Telephone: 240-276-2130
   
 

Methamphetamine Use Varies Widely Across States and Remains Highest Among Young Adults

 

 

A new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) continues to show that individuals in the 18-25 age group are the most likely to be using methamphetamine.  The NSDUH Report:  State Estimates of Past Year Methamphetamine Use is based on data combined from the last four years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.  The combined data from more than 250,000 people who were surveyed for this report give a more detailed picture of who is using the drug than in previous SAMHSA reports and marks the first time that SAMHSA has provided data by age groups within states for methamphetamine use.

“This information is important for policy makers, prevention and treatment specialists and for anyone concerned with the spread of methamphetamine use throughout the country,” said Assistant Surgeon General Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H., SAMHSA Acting Deputy Administrator.  “The more information we have about the users of this drug and their location, the better we are able to place resources in the areas where they are needed most.”

While methamphetamine has garnered significant attention in the media and in Congress, the actual numbers of users are quite small compared to other drugs such as marijuana (1.3 million vs.  25.4 million users in 2005). 

This new report and the expanded data set are not only able to draw finer distinctions of methamphetamine use among states, dividing the prevalence rates into five levels – from the very highest in Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming to the very lowest in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York – but also to illuminate the differences in usage among various age groups.

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

 

 
 
 
   
 

SAMHSA, is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions, treatment, and mental health services delivery system.

 
 
   

SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service