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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sep, (foodconsumer.org) - Illicit drug usage in American teenagers in the age group of 12 to 17 declined from 10.6 percent in 2004 and 9.9 percent in 2005, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). But drug use among the so-called baby boomers ages 50 to 59 increased from 2.7 percent to 4.4 percent between 2002 and 2005. Use of marijuana or pot also declined among teenagers from 8.2 percent in 2002 to 6.8 percent in 2005, while the average age of first use of marijuana increased from under age 17 in 2003 to 17.4 years in 2005, the report said. "Something important is happening with American teens," said John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "They are getting the message that using drugs limits their futures, and they are turning away from the destructive patterns and cruelly-misinformed perceptions about substance abuse that have so damaged previous generations." The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is conducted annually among 67,500 people. The survey highlights the patterns of illicit drug usage among various age groups in the US. It also provides an important perspective of how many Americans drink, smoke and use drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine. For the past three years the stand out fact in this report is the steady decline of illicit drug usage among younger people in the age bracket of 12 to 17. Conversely the illicit drug usage patterns in the baby boomer generation ages 50 to 59 has increased steadily. Illicit drug use among young adults ages 18-25 remains unchanged between 2002 and 2005. However cocaine use increased from 2.0 in 2002 to 2.6 percent in 2005. Additionally nonmedical use of prescription drugs among young adults increased from 5.4 percent in 2002 to 6.3 percent in 2005. David Murray, special assistant to the director for the Office of National Drug Control Policy said the findings were surprising from the baby boomers point of view, "Rarely have we seen a story like this where this is such an obvious contrast as one generation goes off stage right, and entering stage left is a generation that learned a lesson somehow and they're doing something very different," he said. When the illicit drug usage picture was compared as a whole, the percentages remained relatively unchanged. About 19.7 million Americans reported they had used an illicit drug in the past month, which amounts to a rise from 7.9 percent to 8.1 percent. The marginal increase was not only due to the baby boomers, but also due to the younger adults ages 18-25. Illicit drug usage is always high in this group. * Use of marijuana ages 12 and older remained almost the same at 6.0 percent in 2005 as compared to 6.1 percent in 2004. Overall there were 14.6 million past month users of marijuana in 2005. * Non medical use of prescription drugs also remained the same in 2005 compared to 2004. Of the 6.4 million persons ages 12 or older who used prescription drugs non-medically, 4.7 million used narcotic pain relievers, 1.8 million used tranquilizers, 1.1 million used stimulants and 272,000 used sedatives. In this particular category, respondents were asked how they obtained drugs for non-medical use. Around 59.8 percent said they got them “from a friend or relative for free,” 16.8 percent reported getting the drug from one doctor, while 4.3 percent reported getting narcotic pain relievers from a drug dealer. Only 0.8 percent reported buying drugs from the Internet. * There was a lifetime decrease in the use of methamphetamine from 5.3 to 4.3 percent in 2005, but past month use in ages 12 and older remained the same. The number of recent new users of methamphetamine, aged 12 or older, was 192,000 in 2005. The rate of cocaine users has also remained the same in the past two years. * The worrisome figure in the 2005 report was that of binge drinking. The report found 22.7 percent of persons ages 12 and older participated in binge drinking in 2005. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the month before being surveyed. The binge drinking rate among young adults ages 18-25 was 41.9 percent, and the heavy drinking rate was 15.3 percent. * The survey found that there were at least 71.5 million Americans ages 12 and older who used tobacco in one form of the other in 2005. Of these 60.5 million were current cigarette smokers; 13.6 million smoked cigars; 7.7 million used smokeless tobacco; and 2.2 million smoked tobacco in pipes. In the 12-17 age group cigarette and cigar use declined in 2005. * Based on criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV), the report classified 22.2 million Americans ages 12 and older as having substance dependence or abuse in 2005. * The number of adults in the US having major depression also increased in 2005. Around 17.1 million adults had reported past year major depressive episodes in 2004. This number rose to 30.8 million adults who had at least one major depressive episode in their lifetime in 2005. "The government's current approach to drugs, with its drug free rhetoric and over-reliance on punitive, criminal justice policies costs billions more each year yet delivers less and less," said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. But Murray noted that the peak of drug use among youth in the United States occurred in the late 1970s. "And they brought it with them like baggage when they hit 50 and 60. So they have rates of use that are starting to stand out as persistent," he added. But he was satisfied that the number of illicit drug users is declining in young people, "The patterns of self-destruction are so much lower in this generation coming in, and these patterns are likely to be sustained. This augurs well for the future of public health in America," Mr. Murray said. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt was also pleased with the decline of drug usage in young people. “We know prevention activities must start with our children. There is more to be done and we must build on our work to ensure that children and their parents understand that they must live free of drugs and alcohol to be healthy," he said. © 2004-2005 by foodconsumer.org unless otherwise specified. |
