Understanding the Latest National Surveys on Drug Use and Health

From the opioid crisis to the legalization of cannabis, there has been a lot of buzz in the media about drug use and its implications for public health. National surveys on drug use and health collection and analysis of data on substance abuse, and they offer a lot of insight on trends and patterns that are not easy to discern from isolated cases or anecdotes. In this article, we will look at the latest national surveys on drug use and health and discuss their findings, implications, and limitations.

Before we delve into specific surveys, let’s clarify what we mean by drug use and health. Drug use refers to any ingestion or administration of psychoactive substances, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, illicit drugs, and alcohol. Health refers to physical, mental, social, and economic wellbeing. The relationship between drug use and health can be complex and multifaceted, ranging from harm reduction to addiction, from self-medication to poisoning, from social bonding to violence.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the main federal agency responsible for conducting national surveys on drug use and health. It has been conducting two large-scale surveys of the US civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 12 or older since 1971: the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS).

The NSDUH covers a wide range of topics related to drug use and health, such as initiation, dependence, abuse, treatment, rehabilitation, and consequences. It also collects data on socio-demographic variables, such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, and geography, that can help identify disparities and trends across different population subgroups. The latest NSDUH report is based on data collected from 55,384 respondents from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2019.

Here are some key findings from the NSDUH report:

– An estimated 164.8 million people aged 12 or older (60.1% of the population) reported past-month alcohol use, and 55.3 million (20.1%) reported binge alcohol use (defined as five or more drinks on the same occasion at least once in the past 30 days). The prevalence of alcohol use and binge alcohol use was higher among males than females, and among adults aged 18 or older than adolescents aged 12 to 17.
– An estimated 19.4 million people (7.0%) reported past-year illicit drug use, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, and prescription drugs used non-medically. Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug, with an estimated 49.5 million people (18.0%) reporting past-year use. Prescription drugs used non-medically accounted for 4.9 million (1.8%) of past-year illicit drug use. The prevalence of illicit drug use was higher among males than females, and among young adults aged 18 to 25 than older adults or adolescents.
– An estimated 10.1 million people (3.7%) reported past-year misuse of prescription opioids, defined as using prescription opioids in ways other than prescribed, such as for the experience or feeling it caused. The prevalence of prescription opioid misuse was higher among young adults aged 18 to 25 than older adults or adolescents.
– An estimated 2.0 million people (0.7%) reported past-year use of heroin, which was more common among adults aged 26 or older than young adults or adolescents.
– An estimated 6.1 million people (2.2%) reported past-year misuse of prescription stimulants, such as Adderall or Ritalin, which were used to treat ADHD or other medical conditions. The prevalence of prescription stimulant misuse was higher among young adults aged 18 to 25 than older adults or adolescents.
– An estimated 623,000 people (0.2%) reported past-year use of methamphetamine, which was more common among young adults aged 18 to 25 than older adults or adolescents.

These figures show that drug use is a widespread and multifaceted phenomenon that affects different aspects of people’s lives, such as health, education, employment, and social relationships. They also show that drug use is not evenly distributed across the population, but rather varies by demographic and socio-economic factors. For example, young adults, males, and people with low education or income levels are more likely to use drugs than other groups.

However, national surveys on drug use and health have some limitations that affect their validity and reliability. First, they rely on self-reporting, which can be biased by social desirability, memory recall, or respondent fatigue. Second, they only capture data on civilian, non-institutionalized populations, and hence exclude some high-risk or underrepresented groups, such as homeless people, incarcerated people, or military personnel. Third, they do not provide causal explanations or predictive models for drug use, but rather describe its patterns and correlates.

In conclusion, national surveys on drug use and health are valuable sources of information for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners who want to understand and address the public health challenges posed by drug use. They offer a snapshot of drug use prevalence, trends, and disparities across different population groups, and they inform the development of prevention, treatment, and harm reduction strategies. However, they also have limitations that require caution in interpreting their findings and making generalizations about drug use dynamics.