Marijuana is by far the most used illicit drug in the United States, with over 61 million people using this drug in 2023. The second most used drug at that time was cocaine, followed by methamphetamine and ecstasy. The United States has had a complicated history with drugs, from fighting a “War on Drugs” starting in the 1970s, to seeing the legalisation of marijuana in many states, and experiencing an ongoing nationwide opioid overdose epidemic. Recreational marijuana Although marijuana is still illegal under federal law, 21 states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana. This legalization has opened a new and thriving market in these states. It is estimated that sales of legal cannabis will reach around 25 billion U.S. dollars by the year 2025. Although support for the legalization of marijuana has not always been strong, now around 68 percent of U.S. adults believe it should be made legal. The opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic describes a rise in overdose deaths in the U.S. due to prescription opioids, heroin, and illegally manufactured synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. The epidemic stems from misleading information from pharmaceutical companies concerning the dangers of opioids such as oxycontin, overprescribing of opioids from physicians, and an influx of easily accessible heroin and highly potent synthetic opioids. In 2022, there were around 81,806 deaths from opioid overdose in the United States.

In 2021, it was estimated that around *** million people worldwide consumed illegal drugs such as cannabis, opioids, and cocaine. Furthermore, around **** million people were thought to be problem drug users or to have a drug use disorder. Although drug use varies from country to country, drug use remains a significant problem in many parts of the world. For example, the United States is currently experiencing an opioid epidemic, with drug overdose deaths reaching record levels over the past few years. What is the most used illicit drug worldwide? The most used illicit drug worldwide is cannabis, followed by opioids, and amphetamines. High estimates suggest that around *** percent of the global population consumed cannabis in the past year as of 2021. In comparison, around *** percent of people were thought to have consumed opioids in the past year, and less than *** percent were estimated to have used amphetamines. Drug use is generally more prevalent among men than women, but this distribution varies by drug. For example, around ** percent of cocaine users worldwide are men and ** percent are women, but women account for ** percent of amphetamine users. Cannabis uses In 2021, it was estimated that around *** million people worldwide consumed cannabis at least once in the past year. The highest number of past year cannabis users at that time was found in the Americas. This may be unsurprising since Canada and many U.S. states now allow the sale and use of recreational cannabis. The market for recreational cannabis is substantial in both countries. In the United States, sales of recreational cannabis reached **** billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and are expected to grow to some ** billion U.S. dollars by the year 2026. In 2020, there were thought to be around **** million adult consumers of cannabis in the United States, with this number expected to increase to just over *** million by 2025.

The graph illustrates the number of people who used illicit drugs in the United States across different time periods for the years 2021 and 2022. The x-axis represents the time periods—Lifetime, Past Year, and Past Month—while the y-axis indicates the number of individuals. In 2021, 139,677 people reported lifetime drug use, 61,995 reported past-year use, and 40,564 reported past-month use. In 2022, these numbers increased to 143,116 for lifetime use, 70,338 for past-year use, and 46,603 for past-month use. The data shows an upward trend in illicit drug use across all time periods from 2021 to 2022, with the most significant increases observed in past-year and past-month usage. This information is presented in a bar graph format, effectively highlighting the rise in illicit drug use across different timeframes in the United States between 2021 and 2022.

It is estimated that around *** percent of the global population uses illicit drugs. Use of illicit drugs varies by country and region as countries enact their own laws regarding such substances. Access to illicit drugs also differs by country and region and culture plays a role in how acceptable drug use is. Global drug use Worldwide, cannabis is by far the most used illicit drug, followed by opioids and amphetamines. It is estimated that around *** million people worldwide consume illegal drugs and **** million could be considered addicts or problem drug users. Drug addiction and abuse can negatively impact relationships, increases the risk of a number of diseases, and can ultimately lead to death. Opioid epidemic in the U.S. The United States has a long and complicated history with illegal drugs, once going so far as to fight a “War on Drugs”. Today, the U.S. is experiencing what has been called an opioid epidemic. This has been characterized by an increase in overdose deaths from prescription opioids, heroin and, more recently, illegally manufactured synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. In 2021, there were ****** opioid overdose deaths in the United States.

Data on drug overdose death rates, by drug type and selected population characteristics. Please refer to the PDF or Excel version of this table in the HUS 2019 Data Finder (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/contents2019.htm) for critical information about measures, definitions, and changes over time. SOURCE: NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, numerator data from annual public-use Mortality Files; denominator data from U.S. Census Bureau national population estimates; and Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Kochanek KD, Arias E, Tejada-Vera B. Deaths: Final data for 2018. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 69 no 13. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm. For more information on the National Vital Statistics System, see the corresponding Appendix entry at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus19-appendix-508.pdf.

In 2021/2022, the states with the highest share of people who had used cocaine in the past year were Colorado, Vermont, the District of Columbia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. In Colorado, around 3.06 percent of the population were estimated to have used cocaine in the past year at that time, compared to the U.S. average of 1.95 percent. The states with the lowest past-year cocaine consumption rates were New Hampshire and Wyoming. Cocaine use in the United States As of 2022, cocaine was the second most used illicit drug in the United States, behind marijuana. At that time around 42.2 million people in the U.S. had used cocaine at least once in their lifetime. In comparison, around 29.5 million people reported using LSD in their lifetime and 22.1 million had used ecstasy. In 2022, almost 5.2 million people were estimated to have used cocaine in the past year. How many people in the U.S. die from cocaine every year? The number of drug poisoning deaths involving cocaine has increased significantly over the past couple decades. In 2021, there were around 24,486 overdose deaths involving cocaine, compared to just 3,800 in the year 1999. However, it is important to note that many overdose deaths involving cocaine also involve other drugs, namely opioids. The increase in overdose deaths involving cocaine is directly related to the ongoing opioid epidemic in the United States. Rates of overdose death involving cocaine are twice as high for men than women, but death rates for both men and women have increased in recent years.

Marijuana, followed by cocaine and LSD, is the most used illicit drug in the United States. As of 2023, around 133.5 million people in the United States had used marijuana at some point in their lifetime. In the past few years, a number of states have legalized marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes, creating a new and thriving market. Legal cannabis As of the beginning of 2023, 21 U.S. states had legalised the use of cannabis for recreational purposes. Sales of legal cannabis were estimated to reach 21.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, with this number expected to grow to 25 billion by the year 2025. By that time, the state of California is expected to account for around 20 percent of the legal cannabis industry. Florida and Illinois are expected to account for the second and third highest shares of the industry with eight percent each. Teen cannabis use Despite the recent change of legality in many U.S. states, the perceived availability of marijuana among 12th graders has decreased in recent years. Nevertheless, around 70 percent of 12th graders stated they perceived it to be “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain marijuana. Past month use of marijuana among high school students has also declined from figures reported in the late 1990s, but around 11 percent of high school students still report having used marijuana in the past month.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) series measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United States. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as annual, estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households aged 12 and older. Questions include age at first use as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes: marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including psychotherapeutics. Respondents were also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, substance abuse treatment history, illegal activities, problems resulting from the use of drugs, need for treatment for drug or alcohol use, criminal record, and needle-sharing. Questions on mental health and access to care, which were introduced in the 1994-B questionnaire (see NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY ON DRUG ABUSE, 1994), were retained in this administration of the survey. Also retained was the section on risk/availability of drugs that was reintroduced in 1996, and sections on driving behavior and personal behavior were added (see NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY ON DRUG ABUSE, 1996). The 1997 questionnaire (NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY ON DRUG ABUSE, 1997) introduced new items that the 1998 NHSDA continued on cigar smoking, people who were present when respondents used marijuana or cocaine for the first time (if applicable), reasons for using these two drugs the first time, reasons for using these two drugs in the past year, reasons for discontinuing use of these two drugs (for lifetime but not past-year users), and reasons respondents never used these two drugs. Both the 1997 and 1998 NHSDAs had a series of questions that were asked only of respondents aged 12 to 17. These items covered a variety of topics that may be associated with substance use and related behaviors, such as exposure to substance abuse prevention and education programs, gang involvement, relationship with parents, and substance use by friends. Demographic data include sex, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, job status, income level, veteran status, and current household composition. This study has 1 Data Set.

Abstract (en): The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series (formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) primarily measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United States. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as annual, estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households aged 12 and older. Questions included age at first use as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes: marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. The survey covered substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and included questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be applied. The survey included questions concerning treatment for both substance abuse and mental health related disorders. Respondents were also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record, problems resulting from the use of drugs, and needle-sharing. Questions introduced in previous administrations were retained in the 2006 survey, including questions asked only of respondents aged 12 to 17. These "youth experiences" items covered a variety of topics, such as neighborhood environment, illegal activities, drug use by friends, social support, extracurricular activities, exposure to substance abuse prevention and education programs, and perceived adult attitudes toward drug use and activities such as school work. Several measures focused on prevention-related themes in this section. Also retained were questions on mental health and access to care, perceived risk of using drugs, perceived availability of drugs, driving and personal behavior, and cigar smoking. Questions on the tobacco brand used most often were introduced with the 1999 survey. Background information includes gender, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, job status, veteran status, and current household composition. Due to unequal selection probabilities at multiple stages of sample selection and various adjustments, such as those for nonresponse and poststratification, the 2006 NSDUH sample design is not self-weighting. Analysts are advised to use the final sample weight when attempting to use the 2006 NSDUH data to draw inferences about the target population or any subdomains of the target population. All estimates published in SAMHSA reports (such as the results from the 2006 NSDUH) are weighted using the final analysis weight for the full sample (ANALWT). For the public use file, the corresponding final sample weight is denoted as ANALWT_C, with the "C" denoting confidentiality protection. This sample weight represents the total number of target population persons each record on the file represents. Note that the sum of ANALWT_C, over all records on the data file, represents an estimate of the total number of people in the target population. ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: Performed consistency checks.; Created online analysis version with question text.; Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.. Response Rates: Strategies for ensuring high rates of participation resulted in a weighted screening response rate of 90 percent and a weighted interview response rate for the CAI of 74 percent. (Note that these response rates reflect the original sample, not the subsampled data file referenced in this document.) The civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 12 and older, including residents of noninstitutional group quarters such as college dormitories, group homes, shelters, rooming houses, and civilians dwelling on military installations. A multistage area probability sample for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia was used since 1999. The 2005 NSDUH is the first survey in a coordinated five-year sample design. Although there is no...

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) survey is designed to
capture data on emergency department (ED) episodes that are induced by
or related to the use of an illicit, prescription, or over-the-counter
drug. For purposes of this collection, a drug "episode" is an ED visit
that was induced by or related to the use of an illegal drug or the
nonmedical use of a legal drug for patients aged six years and
older. A drug "mention" refers to a substance that was mentioned
during a drug-related ED episode. Because up to four drugs can be
reported for each drug abuse episode, there are more mentions than
episodes in the data. Individual persons may also be included more
than once in the data. Within each facility participating in DAWN, a
designated reporter, usually a member of the emergency department or
medical records staff, was responsible for identifying drug-related
episodes and recording and submitting data on each case. An episode
report was submitted for each patient visiting a DAWN emergency
department whose presenting problem(s) was/were related to their own
drug use. DAWN produces estimates of drug-related emergency department
visits for 50 specific drugs, drug categories, or combinations of
drugs, including the following: acetaminophen, alcohol in combination
with other drugs, alprazolam, amitriptyline, amphetamines, aspirin,
cocaine, codeine, diazepam, diphenhydramine, fluoxetine,
heroin/morphine, inhalants/solvents/aerosols, LSD, lorazepam,
marijuana/hashish, methadone, methamphetamine, and PCP/PCP in
combination with other drugs. The use of alcohol alone is not
reported. The route of administration and form of drug used (e.g.,
powder, tablet, liquid) are included for each drug. Data collected for
DAWN also include drug use motive and total drug mentions in the
episode, as well as race, age, patient disposition, reason for ED
visit, and day of the week, quarter, and year of episode.This study has 1 Data Set.

In 2023, it was estimated that over ** million people in the United States had used cocaine at some point in their life. The number of people in the United States who stated they had used cocaine in the past month has fluctuated over the past decade, but over *** million people reported they had used cocaine in the past month as of 2023. Cocaine use among teens The percentage of U.S. students in grades *, **, and ** that had used cocaine in their lifetime has gradually decreased since 1999. At that time, around *** percent of students stated they had used cocaine in their lifetime, while in 2021 just *** percent of students said so. Perhaps unsurprisingly, perceived availability of cocaine among **** graders has also decreased over the past couple decades, with about ** percent of **** graders stating cocaine was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get in 2021, compared to almost ** percent who reported it was easy to get in 1990. The most common illicit drugs U.S. students in grades *, **, and ** reported having used in their lifetime were marijuana, inhalants, and hallucinogens such as LSD and mushrooms. Deaths from cocaine In 2020, there were ****** drug poisoning deaths involving cocaine in the United States. The number of overdose deaths involving cocaine has increased significantly over the past few years as part of the ongoing opioid epidemic. Although, it is possible to die of an overdose just from using cocaine, many overdose deaths in the U.S. that involved cocaine also involved the use of opioids. The rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine is almost ***** times higher among men than women, but both have seen increases in the rate of overdose death in recent years. Considering race and ethnicity, the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine is by far highest among black, non-Hispanics and lowest among Asian/Pacific Islander, non-Hispanics.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series (formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) primarily measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United States. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as annual, estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households aged 12 and older. Questions included age at first use as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes: marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. The survey covered substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and included questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be applied. The survey included questions concerning treatment for both substance abuse and mental health-related disorders. Respondents were also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record, problems resulting from the use of drugs, and needle-sharing. Questions introduced in previous administrations were retained in the 2013 survey, including questions asked only of respondents aged 12 to 17. These "youth experiences" items covered a variety of topics, such as neighborhood environment, illegal activities, drug use by friends, social support, extracurricular activities, exposure to substance abuse prevention and education programs, and perceived adult attitudes toward drug use and activities such as school work. Several measures focused on prevention-related themes in this section. Also retained were questions on mental health and access to care, perceived risk of using drugs, perceived availability of drugs, driving and personal behavior, and cigar smoking. Questions on the tobacco brand used most often were introduced with the 1999 survey. For the 2008 survey, adult mental health questions were added to measure symptoms of psychological distress in the worst period of distress that a person experienced in the past 30 days and suicidal ideation. In 2008, a split-sample design also was included to administer separate sets of questions (WHODAS vs. SDS) to assess impairment due to mental health problems. Beginning with the 2009 NSDUH, however, all of the adults in the sample received only the WHODAS questions. Background information includes sex, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, job status, veteran status, and current household composition. This study has 1 Data Set.

NSDUH is the primary source of statistical information on the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco by the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older. Conducted by the Federal Government since 1971, the survey collects data through face-to-face interviews with a representative sample of the population at the respondent''s place of residence. Correlates in OAS reports include the following: age, gender, pregnancy status, race / ethnicity, education, employment, geographic area, frequency of use, and association with alcohol, tobacco, & illegal drug use. NSDUH collects information from residents of households and noninstitutional group quarters (e.g., shelters, rooming houses, dormitories) and from civilians living on military bases. The survey excludes homeless persons who do not use shelters, military personnel on active duty, and residents of institutional group quarters, such as jails and hospitals. Most of the questions are administered with audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI). ACASI is designed to provide the respondent with a highly private and confidential mode for responding to questions in order to increase the level of honest reporting of illicit drug use and other sensitive behaviors. Less sensitive items are administered by interviewers using computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). The 2010 NSDUH employed a State-based design with an independent, multistage area probability sample within each State and the District of Columbia. The eight States with the largest population (which together account for about half of the total U.S. population aged 12 or older) were designated as large sample States (California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas) and had a sample size of about 3,600 each. For the remaining 42 States and the District of Columbia, the sample size was about 900 per State. The design oversampled youths and young adults; each State''s sample was approximately equally distributed among three age groups: 12 to 17 years, 18 to 25 years, and 26 years or older.

The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program/Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) Series is an expanded and redesigned version of the Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program, which was upgraded methodologically and expanded to 35 cities in 1998. The redesign was fully implemented beginning in the first quarter of 2000 using new sampling procedures that improved the quality and generalizability of the data. The DUF program began in 1987 and was designed to estimate the prevalence of drug use among persons in the United States who are arrested and booked, and to detect changes in trends in drug use among this population. The DUF program was a nonexperimental survey of drug use among adult male and female arrestees. In addition to supplying information on self-reported drug use, arrestees also provide a urine specimen, which is screened for the presence of ten illicit drugs. Between 1987 and 1997 the DUF program collected information in 24 sites across the United States, although the number of data collection sites varied slightly from year to year. Data collection took place four times a year (once each calendar quarter) in each site and selection criteria and catchment areas (central city or county) varied from site to site. The original DUF interview instrument (used for the 1987-1994 data and part of the 1995 data) elicited information about the use of 22 drugs. A modified DUF interview instrument (used for part of the 1995 data and all of the 1996-1999 data) included detailed questions about each arrestee's use of 15 drugs. Juvenile data were added in 1991. The ADAM program, redesigned from the DUF program, moved to a probability-based sampling for the adult male population during 2000. The shift to sampling of the adult male population in 2000 required that all 35 sites move to a common catchment area, the county. The ADAM program also implemented a new and expanded adult instrument in the first quarter of 2000, which was used for both the male and female data. The term "arrestee" is used in the documentation, but because no identifying data are collected in the interview setting, the data represent numbers of arrests rather than an unduplicated count of persons arrested. Funding The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) initiated ADAM in 1998 to replace DUF. In 2007, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) initiated ADAM II.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series (formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) primarily measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United States. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as annual estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households aged 12 and older. Questions included age at first use as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes: marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. The survey covered substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and included questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be applied. The survey included questions concerning treatment for both substance abuse and mental health-related disorders. Respondents were also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record, problems resulting from the use of drugs, and needle-sharing. Questions introduced in previous administrations were retained in the 2015 survey, including questions asked only of respondents aged 12 to 17. These "youth experiences" items covered a variety of topics, such as neighborhood environment, illegal activities, drug use by friends, social support, extracurricular activities, exposure to substance abuse prevention and education programs, and perceived adult attitudes toward drug use and activities such as school work. Several measures focused on prevention-related themes in this section. Also retained were questions on mental health and access to care, perceived risk of using drugs, perceived availability of drugs, driving and personal behavior, and cigar smoking. Questions on the tobacco brand used most often were introduced with the 1999 survey. For the 2008 survey, adult mental health questions were added to measure symptoms of psychological distress in the worst period of distress that a person experienced in the past 30 days and suicidal ideation. In 2008, a split-sample design also was included to administer separate sets of questions (WHODAS vs. SDS) to assess impairment due to mental health problems. Beginning with the 2009 NSDUH, however, all of the adults in the sample received only the WHODAS questions. Background information includes sex, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, job status, veteran status, and current household composition. This study has 1 Data Set.

Heroin Use reports an estimated average percent of people who consumed heroin, by age range. These data are collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Substate Region Estimates by Age Group. This survey is conducted on a representative sample of U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized people ages 12 and older. Data are available for the state of Connecticut, substate regions within Connecticut, the Northeast region of the United States, and the Total United States.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series (formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) primarily measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United States. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as annual, estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households aged 12 and older. Questions included age at first use as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes: marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. The survey covered substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and included questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be applied. The survey included questions concerning treatment for both substance abuse and mental health-related disorders. Respondents were also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record, problems resulting from the use of drugs, and needle-sharing. Questions introduced in previous administrations were retained in the 2011 survey, including questions asked only of respondents aged 12 to 17. These "youth experiences" items covered a variety of topics, such as neighborhood environment, illegal activities, drug use by friends, social support, extracurricular activities, exposure to substance abuse prevention and education programs, and perceived adult attitudes toward drug use and activities such as school work. Several measures focused on prevention-related themes in this section. Also retained were questions on mental health and access to care, perceived risk of using drugs, perceived availability of drugs, driving and personal behavior, and cigar smoking. Questions on the tobacco brand used most often were introduced with the 1999 survey. For the 2008 survey, adult mental health questions were added to measure symptoms of psychological distress in the worst period of distress that a person experienced in the past 30 days and suicidal ideation. In 2008, a split-sample design also was included to administer separate sets of questions (WHODAS vs. SDS) to assess impairment due to mental health problems. Beginning with the 2009 NSDUH, however, all of the adults in the sample received only the WHODAS questions. Background information includes sex, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, job status, veteran status, and current household composition. This study has 1 Data Set.

In 2023, some 21.5 percent of 12th graders in the United States stated they felt it was “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain LSD. This is a significant decrease from 54 percent of 12th graders who perceived the drug to be easy to obtain in the year 1995. LSD is a hallucinogenic drug that can alter the user’s thoughts, feelings, and perception of reality.

Teen drug availability

Similar to LSD, around 18 percent of 12th graders in the U.S. also perceived it easy to obtain cocaine. Perceived availability of cocaine among this group has decreased since the year 2007, in which 47 percent felt it was easy to obtain. Marijuana is the most used illicit drug among 12th graders, so it is unsurprising that perceived availability is high. In 2022, around 70 percent of 12th graders stated it was easy to obtain marijuana.

Drug use

Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug in the United States, with over 52 million people using this drug in the past year as of 2021. Cocaine is the second most commonly used illicit drug, followed by methamphetamine and LSD. In total, around 29.5 million people in the U.S. have used LSD in their lifetime.

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) series (formerly titled National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) primarily measures the prevalence and correlates of drug use in the United States. Detailed NSDUH 2008 documentation http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k12/NSDUH2008MRB/Index.aspx is available from SAMHSA. The surveys are designed to provide quarterly, as well as annual, estimates. Information is provided on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco among members of United States households aged 12 and older. Questions included age at first use as well as lifetime, annual, and past-month usage for the following drug classes: marijuana, cocaine (and crack), hallucinogens, heroin, inhalants, alcohol, tobacco, and nonmedical use of prescription drugs, including pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. The survey covered substance abuse treatment history and perceived need for treatment, and included questions from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders that allow diagnostic criteria to be applied. The survey included questions concerning treatment for both substance abuse and mental health related disorders. Respondents were also asked about personal and family income sources and amounts, health care access and coverage, illegal activities and arrest record, problems resulting from the use of drugs, and needle-sharing. Questions introduced in previous administrations were retained in the 2008 survey, including questions asked only of respondents aged 12 to 17. These "youth experiences" items covered a variety of topics, such as neighborhood environment, illegal activities, drug use by friends, social support, extracurricular activities, exposure to substance abuse prevention and education programs, and perceived adult attitudes toward drug use and activities such as school work. Several measures focused on prevention-related themes in this section. Also retained were questions on mental health and access to care, perceived risk of using drugs, perceived availability of drugs, driving and personal behavior, and cigar smoking. Questions on the tobacco brand used most often were introduced with the 1999 survey. For this 2008 survey, Adult mental health questions were added to measure symptoms of psychological distress in the worst period of distress that a person experienced in the past 30 days and suicidal ideation. A split-sample design also was included to administer separate sets of questions to assess impairment due to mental health problems. Background information includes sex, race, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, job status, veteran status, and current household composition. This study has 1 Data Set.

Beginning in 1996, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) initiated a major redesign of its multisite drug-monitoring program, the Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) system (DRUG USE FORECASTING IN 24 CITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1987-1997 [ICPSR 9477]). The program was retitled Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) (see ARRESTEE DRUG ABUSE MONITORING (ADAM) PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES, 1998 [ICPSR 2628] and 1999 [ICPSR 2994]). ADAM extended DUF in the number of sites and improved the quality and generalizability of the data. The redesign was fully implemented in all sites beginning in the first quarter of 2000. The ADAM program implemented a new and expanded adult instrument in the first quarter of 2000, which was used for both the male (Part 1) and female (Part 2) data. The juvenile data for 2000 (Part 3) used the juvenile instrument from previous years. The ADAM program also moved to probability-based sampling for the adult male population during 2000. Therefore, the 2000 adult male sample includes weights, generated through post-sampling stratification of the data. The shift to sampling of the adult male population in 2000 required that all 35 sites move to a common catchment area, the county. The core instrument for the adult cases was supplemented by a facesheet, which was used to collect demographic and charge information from official records. Core instruments were used to collect self-report information from the respondent. Both the adult and juvenile instruments were administered to persons arrested and booked on local or state charges relevant to the jurisdiction (i.e., not federal or out-of-county charges) within the past 48 hours. At the completion of the interview the arrestee was asked to voluntarily provide a urine specimen. An external lab used the Enzyme Multiplied Immunoassay Testing (EMIT) protocols to test for the presence of ten drugs or metabolites of the drug in the urine sample. All amphetamine positives were confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to determine whether methamphetamine was used. For the adult data, variables from the facesheet include arrest precinct, ZIP code of arrest location, ZIP code of respondent's address, respondent's gender and race, three most serious arrest charges, sample source (stock, flow, other), interview status (including reason the individual selected in the sample was not interviewed), language of instrument used, and the number of hours since arrest. Demographic information from the core instrument includes respondent's age, ethnicity, residency, education, employment, health insurance coverage, marital status, housing, and telephone access. Variables from the calendar provide information on inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment, inpatient mental health treatment, arrests and incarcerations, heavy alcohol use, use of marijuana, crack/rock cocaine, powder cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and other drug (ever and previous 12 months), age of first use of the above six drugs and heavy alcohol use, drug dependency in the previous 12 months, characteristics of drug transactions in past 30 days, use of marijuana, crack/rock cocaine, powder cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine in past 30 days, 7 days, and 48 hours, heavy alcohol use in past 30 days, and secondary drug use of 15 other drugs in the past 48 hours. Urine test results are provided for 11 drugs -- marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP), benzodiazepines (Valium), propoxyphene (Darvon), methadone, methaqualone, barbiturates, amphetamines, and methamphetamine. The adult data files include several derived variables. The male data also include four sampling weights, and stratum identifications and percents. For the juvenile data, demographic variables include age, race, sex, educational attainment, employment status, and living circumstances. Data also include each juvenile arrestee's self-reported use of 15 drugs (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, powder cocaine, crack, heroin, PCP, amphetamines, barbiturates, quaaludes, methadone, crystal methamphetamine, Valium, LSD, and inhalants). For each drug type, arrestees reported whether they had ever used the drug, age of first use, whether they had used the drug in the past 30 days and past 72 hours, number of days they used the drug in past month, whether they tried to cut down or quit using the drug, if they were successful, whether they felt dependent on the drug, whether they were receiving treatment for the drug, whether they had received treatment for the drug in the past, and whether they thought they could use treatment for that drug. Additional variables include whether juvenile respondents had ever injected drugs, whether they were influenced by drugs when they allegedly committed the crime for which they were arrested, whether they had been to an emergency room for drug-related incidents, and if so, whether in the past 12 months, and information on arrests and charges in the past 12 months. As with the adult data, urine test results are also provided. Finally, variables covering precinct (precinct of arrest) and law (penal law code associated with the crime for which the juvenile was arrested) are also provided for use by local law enforcement officials at each site.