| New Report Reveals Treatment Admissions
for Methamphetamine, Prescription Drug and Marijuana Abuse are on
the Rise
Contact
Media Services: (240) 276-2130
Date: 1/31/2008
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press Office
Telephone: 240-276-2130
Largest Share of Treatment Admissions Is
Still for Alcohol Abuse, but Its Share Has Significantly Decreased
Over the Past Decade.
Problems with alcohol as a primary substance of abuse accounted
for 40 percent of the 1.8 million admissions in 2006 for substance
abuse treatment in the United States according to a SAMHSA report
based on the latest nationwide survey of treatment facilities.
Yet this percentage of admissions for alcohol abuse treatment
is markedly lower than the 51 percent share it represented in
1996.
The Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) 2006 Highlights report,
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) , also reveals that over the same 10 year period the
percentages of admissions for methamphetamine, prescription drug
and marijuana abuse rose.
The percentage of treatment admissions
primarily due to methamphetamine/amphetamine abuse is relatively
small, but nearly tripled from 3 percent in 1996 to 9 percent in
2006. The criminal justice system was the principal source of
referral for 55 percent of all the treatment admissions for
methamphetamine/amphetamine abuse.
Although the percentage of treatment admissions
for primary heroin abuse is at about the same level it was a decade
ago (14 percent), the percent of treatment admissions for other
opiates – mainly misused prescription pain killers – increased from
1 percent in 1996 to 4 percent in 2006.
Similarly the proportion of admissions for
primary marijuana abuse increased from 12 percent in 1996 to 16
percent in 2006. The average age of those admitted primarily for
marijuana treatment was significantly younger (age 24) than the
average age for all substance abuse treatment admissions (age 34).
“The TEDS report shows the variation in
substance abuse treatment admissions over the years, including the
recent increases in methamphetamine, prescription pain killers and
marijuana,” said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. “States and
local providers can use the report to anticipate and plan for
capacity needed to address emerging needs.”
John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, said,
"While most of those who are dependent on illegal drugs are in
denial, the good news is that more than one million Americans are
receiving treatment each year and have started down the road to
recovery. They deserve our respect for having the courage to come
forward and seek help. As overall drug use among young people
continues to decline in America, we hope that more Americans will
encourage friends and family members who are using drugs to seek
treatment and help make our national drug problem even smaller."
The TEDS 2006 Highlights Report is the latest in a series of
yearly reports providing demographic and other information on
substance abuse treatment admissions from state- licensed treatment
facilities (most of them publicly funded) across the country.
Although it does not include information on all treatment admissions,
it is the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind and provides
a vast array of specialized data on the characteristics of substance
abuse treatment in the United States.
The report is available online at
http://samhsa.gov/data/teds2k6highlights/TOC.cfm , or by calling
SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7
(1-877-726-4727) and asking for publication number SMA 08-4313.
SAMHSA is a public health agency within the
Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible
for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the
nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and
mental health services delivery system.
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