*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1993.06.23 : Survey -- Drug Abuse Contact: James A. Miller Wednesday, June 23, 1993 (301) 443-8956 Results from the 1992 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse were released today, showing a continuing overall declining pattern of drug use in the U.S. population. The number of Americans aged 12 and older currently using illegal drugs decreased 11 percent, from 12.8 million in 1991 to 11.4 million in 1992. "The results of the 1992 Household Survey show that prevention efforts do yield results," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "We need to continue and invigorate these efforts to ensure that present and future generations understand and avoid the perils of drug use and abuse." The survey also showed that, contrary to broader trends, use of drugs among those aged 35 and older is at the same level as in 1979. This level trend among older adults is believed to be related to the aging of the heavy drug using groups of the 1970s. The survey is carried out annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is intended to estimate the prevalence of legal and illegal drug use in the United States each year as well as to monitor trends in prevalence of drug use over time. It is based on a representative sample of the general U.S. population aged 12 and older throughout the nation, and covers persons living in households and in some group quarters such as dormitories and homeless shelters. The survey covers a range of substances, from illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, to alcohol, tobacco and smokeless tobacco. Findings from the 1992 survey show that the number of illicit drug users continued to decline from a peak of 24 million in 1979. In addition, findings about specific drugs included: o Illegal drugs. Since 1979, overall rates of "current" (last 30 days) illegal drug use have dropped in all age groups (12- 17, 18-25 and 26-34) except those aged 35 and older, whose use of drugs has remained level; this has resulted in a general shift in the age distribution of illegal drug users. In 1992, 23 percent of illegal drug users were aged 35 and older, compared with only 10 percent in 1979. o Cocaine. The number of current cocaine users decreased 31 percent from 1.9 million users in 1991 to 1.3 million in 1992. This is down from a peak of 5.8 million in 1985. The number of "occasional" cocaine users (people who used in 1992 but less often than monthly) also continued a sharp decline, from 8.6 million in 1985 to 5.8 million in 1988, 4.3 million in 1991, and 3.4 million in 1992. "Frequent" use of cocaine, defined as use on a weekly basis, remained unchanged between 1991 and 1992 at about 640,000 users. In fact, no significant change has occurred in this number since it was first estimated in 1985. o Marijuana. Marijuana is the most common illegal drug--used by 78 percent of all illegal drug users in 1992. Fifty-nine percent of current illegal drug users had used only marijuana, 19 percent had used marijuana and another illegal drug, and 22 percent had used illegal drugs other than marijuana in the past month. o Other illegal drug use. The study noted no major changes in the prevalence of the use of hallucinogens, such as LSD and PCP, between 1991 and 1992, while the prevalence of inhalant use, such as gasoline, glue, and nitrites, dropped slightly. o Nonmedical use of prescription drugs. The estimated prevalence rates for nonmedical use of psychotherapeutics (sedatives, tranquilizers, stimulants, or analgesics) in the past month also showed significant decreases between 1988 and 1992, and between 1991 and 1992. o Alcohol. The 1992 survey found that approximately 98 million people aged 12 and older had used alcohol in the past month, about 48 percent of the total population in this age group. Alcohol use has exhibited a gradual downward trend since 1988 when there were an estimated 106 million drinkers. In 1992 about 10 million Americans were heavy drinkers; no decreases have occurred in this measure since 1988. Heavy drinking is defined as taking five or more drinks per occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days. o Cigarettes. The survey found that 54 million Americans were current smokers in 1992, or 26 percent of the population. Current cigarette smoking has declined since 1988, when 29 percent of the population smoked tobacco. o Smokeless tobacco. An estimated 7.5 million Americans were current users of smokeless tobacco in 1992, about the same as in 1988. The rate of smokeless tobacco use in 1992 was 7.1 percent for men and 0.5 percent for women. Dr. Elaine M. Johnson, acting administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said: "We are encouraged to note that the results of this survey show a broad-based decline in the use not only of illegal drugs, but also alcohol and tobacco. However, other data recently reported by SAMSHA show that the number of hospital emergency room episodes caused by drug abuse has recently increased. This shows that while fewer people may be using drugs, the impact of their use on the medical system continues to be a problem." In addition, the survey's demographic variables provided further information on the impact of drug use on various subgroups in the U.S. population. These variables included: o Age. Among 12-17-year-olds, current illegal drug use decreased from 9.2 percent in 1988 to 6.1 percent in 1992. Decreases were also significant for the 18-25 age group and the 26-34 age group. As in the past, however, the rate of current illegal drug use in 1992 was highest among 18 to 25- year-olds (13 percent) and 26 to 34-year-olds (10 percent). o Race/ethnicity. Most illegal drug users in the United States in 1992 were in the white population--76 percent of all current users, or 8.7 million people. Fourteen percent of illicit drug users were African-American (1.6 million) and 8 percent were Hispanic (0.9 million). Decreases in illegal drug use rates have occurred since 1988 among whites (5.5 percent) and Hispanics (5.3 percent). The rate among blacks, which had increased from 7.8 percent in 1988 to 9.4 percent in 1991, also decreased to 6.6 percent in 1992. o Gender. Men continued to have a higher rate of current illegal drug use than women (7.1 percent vs. 4.1 percent) in 1992. Among youths age 12-17, rates of use were similar for males and females. However, in older age groups, the rates of use were substantially higher for men than women. These rates of use represent a significant decrease for both men and women since the 1988 levels of 9.0 percent for men and 5.8 percent for women. o Education. Illegal drug use rates remain highly correlated with educational status. Among 18 to 34-year-olds in 1992, those who had not completed high school had the highest rate of use (14.3 percent), while college graduates had the lowest rate (7.3 percent). o Employment. Current employment status was also highly correlated with rates of illegal drug use. For instance, 20.7 percent of unemployed 18 to 34-year-olds were currently using illegal drugs in 1992, nearly twice the rate for those employed full or part-time (10.7 percent). o Urbanicity/Region. Since 1988, the difference in prevalence by population density has narrowed. The rate dropped significantly in large metropolitan areas, from 8.9 percent in 1988 to 6 percent in 1992 but remained virtually unchanged in nonmetropolitan areas (5.8 percent in 1988 and 5.3 percent in 1992). Copies of the results of the 1992 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse are available upon request from the press office of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one of the eight agencies of the Public Health Service. ###