2013 National Report on Drug Use and Health

Yesterday, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released an overview of the findings of the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The short report released yesterday showed that in 2013 illicit drug use in America was stable over the previous year:

• Among young adults (18 to 25) there was no change in either past month use of any illicit or marijuana; this pattern is unchanged since 2008.  However, there was a decline in past month use of pain relievers from 2012; from 3.8% to 3.3%.
• Among older adults (26+), while there was no change in past month use of any illicit or marijuana from 2012, both are up significantly from 2011 (6.3% to 7.3% and 4.8% to 5.6%, respectively).
• In 2013, 1.4 percent of adolescents had a co-occurring major depressive episode and substance use disorder (SUD); 3.2 percent of adults had co-occurring "any mental illness" and SUD; and 1.0 percent of adults had a co-occurring serious mental illness and SUD.
• In 2013, 24.6 million people aged 12 or older (9.4%) were current illicit drug users, including 2.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17. While current marijuana use among this population was unchanged from 2012, it has been increasing in recent years, rising from 5.8 percent in 2007 to 7.5 percent in 2013. 
• Past month use of any illicit drug among adolescents declined significantly from 2012 to 2013 (9.5% to 8.8%); this appears to be driven by declines in prescription drug use: pain relievers from 2.2% to 1.7% and tranquilizers from 0.6% to 0.4%.  While marijuana use among adolescents was unchanged from 2012, it is down significantly from 2011 (7.9% vs. 7.1%)—in the opposite direction of the trend for the population overall.
• 60.1 million people aged 12 or older were past month binge drinkers, including 1.6 million adolescents (ages 12 -17).
• Of the estimated 22.7 million people aged 12 or older in 2013 who needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem, 2.5 million persons received treatment at a specialty facility.

Over the past three decades, the rate of drug use in America has declined by approximately 30%. 

Download the short report here. The full survey results will be released later this month by SAMHSA.