Women & Drugs: Facts & Figures

Overview

Contents
	Overview
	Extent of Use
	Health Effects
	Treatment
	Arrests & Sentencing
	Other Links
	Sources

A three-year study on women and young girls (ages 8–22) from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University revealed that girls and young women use substances for reasons different than boys and young men. The study also found that the signals and situations of higher risk are different and that girls and young women are more vulnerable to abuse and addiction: they get hooked faster and suffer the consequences sooner than boys and young men.¹

In 2006, lifetime, past year, and past month drug use rates were lower for women than for men.² Women accounted for 31.9% of the nationwide admissions to treatment during 2005.³

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Extent of Use

According to the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 41.8% of women ages 12 or older reported using an illicit drug at some point in their lives. Approximately 11.6% of females ages 12 and older reported past year use of an illicit drug and 5.8% reported past month use of an illicit drug.⁴

As was the case from 2002 through 2006, the rate of substance dependence or abuse for males aged 12 or older in 2007 was about twice as high as the rate for females. In 2007 the rate was 12.5% for males, which was similar to the 12.3% rate in 2006, while for females, it was 5.7%, which was lower than the 6.3% rate in 2006. However, among youths aged 12 to 17, the rate of substance dependence or abuse among males was similar to the rate among females during the period from 2002 through 2007 (7.7% vs. 7.7% in 2007; 8.0% vs. 8.1% in 2006; and 9.3% vs. 8.6% in 2002).⁵

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 34.5% of female high school students surveyed nationwide in 2007 used marijuana during their lifetime. This is down from 35.9% in 2005 and 37.6% in 2003. Inhalant abuse among surveyed high school females has increased from 11.4% in 2003, to 13.5% in 2005 and 14.3% in 2007.⁶

Percent of High School Females Reporting Drug Use, 2003–2007

Drug Type	2003	2005	2007
Lifetime marijuana	37.6%	35.9%	34.5%
Current marijuana	19.3	18.2	17.0
Lifetime cocaine	7.7	6.8	6.5
Current cocaine	3.5	2.8	2.5
Lifetime inhalant	11.4	13.5	14.3
Lifetime heroin	2.0	1.4	1.6
Lifetime methamphetamine	6.8	6.0	4.1
Lifetime Ecstasy	10.4	5.3	4.8
Lifetime Steroid	5.3	3.2	2.7

According to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 59.3% of State and 47.6% of Federal female prisoners surveyed in 2004 indicated that they used drugs in the month before their offense. Additionally, approximately 60.2% of State and 42.8% of Federal female prisoners surveyed in 2004 met drug dependence or abuse criteria.⁷

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Health Effects

A National Vital Statistics Report found that 30,711 persons died of drug-induced causes in 2004. Of the drug-induced deaths, 11,349 were females. Drug-induced deaths include deaths from dependent and nondependent use of drugs (legal and illegal use) and poisoning from medically prescribed and other drugs. It excludes unintentional injuries, homicides, and other causes indirectly related to drug use. Also excluded are newborn deaths due to mother's drug use.⁸

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) collects data on drug-related visits to emergency departments (ED) nationwide. In 2005, there were 1,449,154 drug related ED episodes. The rates of ED visits involving cocaine, marijuana, and heroin were higher for males than females, but the rates for stimulants and non-medical use of pharmaceuticals did not differ by gender during 2005.⁹

Number of Female ED Drug Mentions, 2005

Drug Type	Mentions
Cocaine	155,985
Heroin	55,503
Marijuana	80,597
Stimulants	54,419
MDMA (ecstasy)	4,419
LSD	251
PCP	2,913
All illicit drugs	288,960

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Treatment

According to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 571,748 females were admitted to treatment facilities in the United States during 2006, representing 31.8% of the total treatment admissions.¹⁰

Female Admissions to Treatment, 2006

Drug Type	Percent
Alcohol	17.5%
Alcohol with secondary drug	14.7
Heroin	13.6
Other opiates	6.0
Cocaine-smoked	13.0
Cocaine-other route	4.4
Marijuana	13.3
Meth./amphetamine	12.4
Other stimulants	0.1
Tranquilizers	0.8
Sedatives	0.4
Hallucinogens	0.1
PCP	0.1
Inhalants	0.1
Other/none specified	3.5
Total	100.0

Additional TEDS data indicate that more than half of the treatment admissions for sedatives and tranquilizers in 2006 involved women.¹¹

Admissions to Treatment, by Sex, 2006

Drug	Males	Females
Alcohol	74.6%	25.4%
Alcohol with secondary drug	73.7	26.3
Heroin	68.3	31.7
Other opiates	53.8	46.2
Cocaine-smoked	58.4	41.6
Cocaine-other route	65.0	35.0
Marijuana	73.8	26.2
Meth./amphetamine	54.2	45.8
Other stimulants	59.8	40.2
Tranquilizers	46.4	53.6
Sedatives	42.7	57.3
Hallucinogens	72.7	27.3
PCP	71.1	28.9
Inhalants	67.0	33.0
Other/none specified	61.3	38.7
Total/all admissions	68.2	31.8

A SAMHSA report on females admitted to treatment with a dual diagnosis of a substance abuse problem and a psychiatric disorder found that almost half (46%) had alcohol as a primary substance of abuse. The report also found that dually diagnosed female admissions were more likely to have had prior treatments than non-dually diagnosed female admissions (72% vs. 60%). ¹²

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Arrests & Sentencing

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, during 2007, there were a total of 1,033,203 state and local arrests for drug abuse violations in the United States where gender information was available. Of these drug abuse violation arrests, 199,262 involved females.¹³

In FY 2004, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested and booked 19,434 female suspects for Federal offenses, representing 13.8% of the total arrests made by this agency. Of the U.S. Marshals Service arrestees booked on drug offense charges, 14.5% were female. Also in FY 2004, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested 4,285 females, representing 15.6% of all DEA arrests. Approximately 1,188 of the female DEA arrests in FY 2004 involved methamphetamine.¹⁴

Females Arrested by the DEA, by Type of Drug, FY 2004

Drug Category	Total arrested
Powered cocaine	898
Crack cocaine	494
Marijuana	737
Methamphetamine	1,188
Opiates	401
Other or non-drug	567

From October 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003, there were 9,127 female offenders convicted of a Federal offense. Approximately 82.3% of the female offenders convicted of felony drug offenses in FY 2003 were sentenced to incarceration. On September 30, 2003, there were 10,493 female offenders in Federal prison. Females accounted for 8.0% of the Federal prisoners serving time for drug offenses.¹⁵

At yearend 2004, there were approximately 85,800 sentenced female prisoners under State jurisdiction. Approximately 28.7% of incarcerated females were sentenced for drug offenses compared to only 18.9% of males.¹⁶

During FY 2007, there were 25,487 Federal defendants charged with a drug offense whose gender was reported to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Approximately 12.4% of these defendants were female. There were 847 females sentenced for drug offenses relating to methamphetamine during FY 2007. ¹⁷

Females Sentenced for Drug Offenses, by Type of Drug, FY 2007

Drug Category	Total sentenced
Power cocaine	608
Crack cocaine	479
Heroin	183
Marijuana	888
Methamphetamine	847
Other	145
Total	3,150

A Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report found that about half of women offenders confined in State prisons had been using alcohol, drugs, or both at the time of the offense for which they had been incarcerated. About 6 in 10 women in State prison described themselves as using drugs in the month before the offense and 5 in 10 described themselves as a daily user of drugs. Nearly 1 in 3 women serving time in State prisons said they had committed the offense which brought them to prison in order to obtain money to support their need for drugs.¹⁸

A report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), that summarized research on female gangs, states that drug offenses are among the most common offenses committed by female gang members. In Los Angeles County, an analysis of lifetime arrest records of female gang members revealed that drug offenses were the most frequent cause for arrest. A special tabulation from Chicago showed that between 1993 and 1996, either drug offenses or violent offenses were the most common cause for arrest of female gang members.¹⁹

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Other Links

Girls and Drugs: A New Analysis: Recent Trends, Risk Factors and Consequences (PDF)
This report provides analysis of recent findings on drug and alcohol use trends among girls.

The National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC)
NWHIC provides a gateway to the vast array of Federal and other women's health information resources.

Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
ORWH serves as the focal point for women's health research at the National Institutes of Health.

Publications on Women and Drugs
A listing of publications related to women and drugs from various sources.

Women and Gender Research
NIDA's Women and Gender Research Coordinator serves to promote, conduct, and disseminate research on women's health and gender differences.

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Sources

1 National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, The Formative Years: Pathways to Substance Abuse Among Girls and Young Women Ages 8–22 (PDF), February 2003.

2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, 2007

3 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights—2005 (PDF), November 2006

4 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, September 2008

5 Ibid.

6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance: Youth Online: Comprehensive Results

7 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Drug Use and Dependence, State and Federal Prisoners, 2004, October 2006

8 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Vital Statistics Report for 2004 (PDF), August 2007

9 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2005: National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits, March 2007

10 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights—2006, February 2008

11 Ibid.

12 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Dually Diagnosed Female Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions: 1999, October 2002

13 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States, 2007, September 2008

14 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2004, December 2006

15 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Compendium of Federal Justice Statistics, 2003, October 2005

16 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2006, December 2007

17 United States Sentencing Commission, 2007 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, 2008

18 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Women Offenders, December 1999.

19 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Female Gangs: A Focus on Research, March 2001.

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