August 15, 2003 |
In Brief |
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The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) asks respondents aged 12 or older to report their lifetime use of hallucinogens, as well as their age of first use. Hallucinogens include LSD, PCP, MDMA (Ecstasy), peyote, mescaline, and psilocybin (mushrooms). Hallucinogens can have substantial side effects, including decreased motivation, prolonged depression, anxiety, increased delusions and panic, and psychosis.1,2
Respondents aged 12 to 17 also were asked how much they thought people risk harming themselves physically and in other ways when they try LSD once or twice and use it once or twice a week, as well as how difficult or easy it would be to get some LSD if they wanted some.3,4 Respondents were analyzed by racial and ethnic subgroups for comparative purposes.
Past research has shown that substance use, and in particular hallucinogen use, varies by race and ethnicity.5 According to the 2001 NHSDA, black youths were less likely to have used any hallucinogen in their lifetime compared with white, Asian, or Hispanic youths (Table 1). White and Asian youths had similar rates of hallucinogen use, except that whites were much more likely than Asians to have used PCP or psilocybin at least once in their lifetime.
Figure 1. Percentages of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Lifetime Use of Specific Hallucinogens: 2001 |
Table 1. Percentages and Standard Errors of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Lifetime Use of Specific Hallucinogens, by Race/Ethnicity*: 2001 |
Perceived availability of LSD also varied by race and ethnicity. White youths were more likely than all other youths to think that LSD is fairly or very easy to obtain, and Hispanic youths were more likely than black or Asian youths to think that LSD is fairly or very easy to obtain (Figure 3).
Figure 2. Percentages of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting Perceived Great Risk of Trying LSD Once or Twice and Using LSD Once or Twice a Week, by Race/Ethnicity*: 2001 |
Figure 3. Percentages of Youths Aged 12 to 17 Reporting it Would Be Fairly or Very Easy to Obtain LSD, by Race/Ethnicity*: 2001 |
Source (all figures and table 1): SAMHSA 2001 NHSDA
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2001 data are based on information obtained from 69,000 persons aged 12 or older, including approximately 23,000 youths aged 12 to 17. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence.
The NHSDA Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Information and data for this issue are based on the following publication and statistics: Office of Applied Studies. (2002). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of national findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 02-3758, NHSDA Series H-17). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Also available on-line: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Additional tables available upon request. |
The NHSDA Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. |
This page was last updated on December 30, 2008. |
SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.
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