1) National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)
by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
yearly since 1979
survey of people age 12 years and older
2) Monitoring the Future Survey
by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) yearly since 1975
survey of high school students in 8th, 10th,
12th grade
3) Survey of Health Related Behavior Among Military Personnel
by Department of Defense every three years since 1980
survey of military personnel
4) Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN)
by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) yearly since 1992
mentions of drug use by patients in emergency rooms
5) Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
by Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) every five years since 1974
survey of inmates
6) Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM)
by National Institute on Justice (NIJ) yearly since 1987
survey and drug testing of arrestees in 34 cities
Compare the following CLAIMS
by the US government using the same data we use, against the alternative
conclusions we provide using the data presented in your readings, in class,
and on the web site. Then, make up your mind who is right ...
A) Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) claims in "The Drug War Today" that: "Since 1985, all major drugs show a substantial decline in the level of current use."
Alternative conclusion: There is virtually no change in the percentage
of past month drug users in the United States for more than 10 years
B) ONDCP claims that: "Since 1979, current drug use is down substantially."
Alternative conclusion: There is virtually no change in the number
of past month drug users in the United States for more than 10 years
C) ONDCP claims that: "Current use of marijuana is substantially lower since 1979."
Alternative conclusion: There is virtually no change in the number
of past month marijuana users in the United States for more than 10 years
D) ONDCP claims that: "Since 1985, current use of cocaine also is down significantly."
Alternative conclusion: There is virtually no change in the number
of past month cocaine users in the United States for more than 10 years
E) ONDCP claims that: "Current heroin use in the household population is still low, and recent fluctuations are not statistically significant."
Alternative conclusion: There is virtually no change in the number
of past month heroin users in the United States for more than 10 years
F) ONDCP claims that: "While drug use is still unacceptably high, 2000 is the fourth year without significant changes in the current use of "Any Illicit Drug."
Alternative conclusion: Past month drug use among high school
students has increased over the past 10 years
G) ONDCP claims that: "Prevention Efforts Are Working - Current Drug Use Among Those Aged 12-17 Declined 21 Percent Between 1997 and 1999"
Alternative conclusion: Prevention efforts cannot be judged over
a 3 year period, especially with only one age group
H) "However, Current Use of Any Illicit Drug Among Those Aged 18-25 Has Risen."
Alternative conclusion: Prevention efforts are not working to
stop past month drug use in the United States among young people
I) "The data clearly indicate that while we have had success with those aged 12-17, we still have much to do for those in the 18-25 year old age group."
Alternative conclusion: Prevention efforts are not working to
stop past month drug use in the United States among young people
J) ONDCP claims: "Marijuana initiation shows a downturn, but cocaine, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine initiates are trending upwards."
Alternative conclusion: Prevention efforts are not working to
stop new initiates into using drugs among young people
Drug Use Facts and Trends in the United States
Examine the following facts about drug use and drug use trends in the
United States from each of the main data sources listed above. See
the major conclusions we provide using the data presented in your readings,
in class, and on the web site. Then, think about whether the drug
war is working to reduce drug use and related problems ...
1) National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)
Trend: Drug use increased from 1979 to 2001 (from 31% to 42%)
The increase is almost entirely attributable to increase in use among those 35 years and older
Past year drug use decreased from 1979 to 2001 (from 18% to 13%)
Past month drug use decreased from 1979 to 2001 (from 14% to 7%)
Domestic drug consumption for cocaine (but no other drug) is down from 1988 to 2000
Conclusion: Americans appear to be using less total cocaine but
total consumption is unchanged for other drugs in the United States over
the past 10 years
Death by drug induced causes increased from 1979 to 1999 (from 7,101
to 19,102, or 3.2 per 100,000 to 7 per 100,000)
Conclusion: Drug related deaths have increased in the United States
for more than 10 years
Use: 2000: 87 million Americans 12 years or older used an illicit drug at least once in life (38% of population)
2001: 109 million current users of alcohol (48%)
25.1 million people DUI (11%)
10.1 million underage drinkers (29% of under 21 years)
67 million tobacco users (30%)
15.9 million past month users of any illicit drug (7.1%)
Most illicit drug use is marijuana
Conclusion: Most drug use in the United States is of LEGAL DRUGS;
the most widely used illegal drug is marijuana
12 million past month marijuana users (5.4%)
3.5 million past month pain reliever users
1.7 million past month cocaine users (0.7%)
1.4 million past month tranquillizer users
1 million past month other stimulant users
780,000 past month ecstasy users
600,000 past month other hallucinogen users
300,000 past month other sedative users
123,000 past month heroin users
2000 new initiates:
5 million alcohol
2.8 million cigarettes
2.4 million marijuana (average age 17.5 years)
Conclusion: The war on drugs has not stopped young people from
becoming new users of marijuana over the past 35 years
2 million pain relievers
Conclusion: The war on drugs has not stopped young people from
becoming new users of numerous other drugs over the past 35 years
1.5 million other hallucinogens
1.3 million ecstasy
Conclusion: The war on drugs has not stopped young people from
becoming new users of numerous other drugs over the past 35 years
900,000 cocaine (average age 20 years)
146,000 heroin
Use higher for teenagers and young adults
Conclusion: Past month drug use in the United States is mostly
a young person phenomenon (drug use is normal for young people in recreational
situations)
Use higher for males than females, people with less education and employment, in West and in cities, use a good predictor of criminal justice system involvement
Use relatively equal between Whites and Blacks
Conclusion: There is no difference in past month drug use in the
United States between blacks and whites
According to SAMHSA, 16.6 million people age 12 years or older are drug
dependent / drug abusers (11 million on alcohol)
SAMHSA reports that dependence increased from 2000 to 2001
2) Monitoring the Future Survey
Trend: Drug use among high school seniors down from 1975 to 2001 but increasing since early 1990s
Conclusion: Past month drug use among high school seniors has
increased in the United States over the past 10 years
Drug use among 8th and 10th graders up from 1991 to 2001 for any drug, marijuana, and cocaine
Conclusion: Past month drug use among 8th and 10th graders has
increased in the United States over the past 10 years
Ecstasy use widely up but heroin, LSD down
Conclusion: Ecstasy is increasingly the drug of choice for young
people in the United States
Perceptions of seriousness of drugs down in 1990s
Disapproval of drugs down in 1990s
Drugs widely available (89% say marijuana easily obtainable)
Conclusion: The war on drugs has not made illegal drugs hard to
obtain for young people in the United States
Alcohol and tobacco use widely prevalent
Conclusion: The United States has a major drug problem with alcohol
and tobacco – legal drugs
Alcohol and tobacco use are gateways to illicit drug use
Conclusion: The first steps to the stepping stone hypothesis,
or the first gates of the gateway hypothesis, are tobacco and alcohol –
legal drugs
SAMHSA claims: "The rate of past moth illicit drug use among youths
and adults was higher among those who were current cigarette or alcohol
users compared with those who did not use these substances ... In 2001,
the rate of current illicit drug use was approximately 9 times higher among
youths who smoked cigarettes (48.0%) than it was among youth who did not
(5.3%) ... Illicit drug use also was associated with the level of alcohol
use. Among youths who were heavy drinkers in 2001, 65.3 percent also were
current illicit drug users, whereas among nondrinkers, the rate was only
5.1 percent."
Use: 2001: 54% tried any illicit drug by high school graduation
80% tried alcohol by high school graduation (50% in past month)
61% tried cigarettes by high school graduation
12th graders: 26% past month use for any illicit drug (marijuana 22%, cocaine 2.1%))
10th graders: 23% past month use for any illicit drug (marijuana 20%)
8th graders: 12% past month for any illicit drug (marijuana 9%)
Ketamine - 2.5% seniors past year use
GHB - 1.6% seniors past year use
Use higher for males than females, Whites than Blacks, those not college-bound,
in Northeast and West
3) Survey of Health Related Behavior Among Military Personnel
Trend: Drastic declines in drug use among military personnel from 1980 to 1998
Conclusion: Military personnel are far less likely to admit to
drug use than in the past 20 years
Use: 1998: 6% past year use for any illicit drug; 2.7% past month use
Most used illicit drug in past month is marijuana (1.4%)
4) Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN)
Trend: Total numbers of mentions of drug use up dramatically for cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from 1978 to 2001
Conclusion: The total of self-reported mentions of drug use in
hospital emergency rooms has increased in the United States over the past
20 years
Use: 2001: 638,484 total mentions
Cocaine accounts for 30% of all mentions
Conclusion: The largest increase in the total of self-reported
mentions of drug use in hospital emergency rooms is for marijuana; only
half of the mentions are for cocaine, heroin, or marijuana
5) Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities
Trend: Drug use generally unchanged over past month and at time of offense from 1986 to 1997
Increase in drug use among Federal inmates from 1991 to 1997 (from 32% to 45% past month use and from 17% to 22% for time of offense use)
Largest increase in drug use among Federal inmates for marijuana use
(from 19% to 30% past month use and from 6 to 11% for time of offense use)
Use: 1997: 57% prior month use for any illicit drug (39% for marijuana, 25% for cocaine)
33% time of offense drug use for any illicit drug (15% for marijuana,
15% for cocaine)
Conclusion: Drug use is common among street criminals (although
the pharmacological effects of drugs are not associated with a large share
of actual criminality)
6) Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM)
Use: 1999: range from 50-77% of adult male arrestees test positive for some drug in nation's large cities