NCJ Number
177124
Date Published
1999
Length
364 pages
Annotation
This report presents results from the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and provides information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among the estimated 215 members of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population ages 12 or older.
Abstract
Use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs among this population did not change appreciably from 1996 to 1997 and were relatively stable from 1991 to 1997. None of the differences in lifetime use, use in the past year, and use in the past month were statistically significant. However, rates of past year and past month use of marijuana and lifetime and past-year use of cocaine increased significantly between 1996 and 1997. These increases appeared to be in line with a more general trend of increasing use among adolescents from 1992 to 1997; the increases appeared to be pervasive across most the major demographic subgroups. Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug; alcohol has been the most commonly used psychoactive drug since the survey began in 1971. About half the surveyed population reported having used only alcohol and no other drug in their lifetime. About 650,000 cocaine users, 3 million marijuana users, 10 million alcohol drinkers, and 23 million cigarette smokers reported 3 or more problems that are considered potential signs of dependence on the respective substance in 1997. The number of persons receiving treatment for alcohol or drug abuse was much smaller than the number who reported having problems resulting from their use of substances. Tables, footnotes, appended methodological information and index, and 65 references