Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
January 22- 27, 2019 is designated as Drug and Alcohol Facts Week by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Initialized in 2010, we dedicate this week to raising awareness about the substance abuse epidemic affecting communities across the United States. Drug and Alcohol Facts Week reminds us that none of us are immune to the impact of addiction.
Lifetime Drug Use Statistics (2017):
122.94 million Americans have used marijuana
40.55 million Americans have used cocaine
26.07 million Americans have used LSD
19.17 million Americans have used ecstasy
14.72 million Americans have used methamphetamine
9.60 million Americans have used crack cocaine
5.30 million Americans have used heroin
Marijuana’s perceived safety and social acceptance has contributed to its place as the most used controlled substance in the United States. Despite legalization in certain states, marijuana is still categorized as a Schedule I controlled substance by the DEA. While marijuana may not carry the dangers of harder drugs like heroin and other opioids, marijuana addiction affects millions of Americans each day.
2017 Annual Drug Use Statistics:
40.94 million Americans used marijuana
6 million Americans have used cocaine
2.5 million Americans have used ecstasy
2.24 million Americans have used LSD
1.63 million Americans have used methamphetamine
930,000 Americans have used crack cocaine
886,000 Americans have used heroin
Teen Drug Abuse Statistics (2017):
6.6% of high school students used hallucinogens at least once in 2017
5.5% of female students
5.8% Hispanic females
1.4% Non-Hispanic black females
6.4% Non-Hispanic white females
7.6% of male students
8.2% Hispanic males
4.8% Non-Hispanic black males
7.9% Non-Hispanic white males
16.1% of students between 8th and 12th grade used illicit substances within the last 30 days. This is .6% higher than the 2016 rate.
2018 Alcohol Use Statistics:
31% of men and 20% of women over the age of 18 (but not necessarily of legal drinking age) had at least one heavy drinking day (five or more drinks) in 2018.
23.2% of Hispanic adults
18.2% of Non-Hispanic black adults
30.8% of Non-Hispanic white adults
36% of adults between the ages of 25 and 44 had at least one heavy drinking day.
44.4% of 25 to 44 year old males had at least one heavy drinking day.
28.3% of 25 to 44 year old females had at least one heavy drinking day.
Like marijuana, alcohol is more socially acceptable than other illicit substances despite being a leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Impaired driving spikes during the holiday months, leading to the development of Impaired Driving Prevention Month and M.A.D.D’s ‘Tie One on for Safety’ campaign.
