Drugs are a continuing problem in our world. On one hand, for example, we have the legalization of marijuana in Colorado for personal use (as opposed to medical marijuana), but at the same time, Colorado schools are reporting increased abuse by kids under 18 years old, for which marijuana is not legal. Drug abuse is a continuing problem. On top of that, there are always unscrupulous people and companies attempting to make new harmful drugs. It’s important to be educated about drug abuse. You never know when someone you care about may need your help.
Drug Abuse Facts
1. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009. That’s almost 1 out of every 10 people aged 12 or older in the United States! If those numbers were applied to a high school as an example, that would mean possibly 3 kids in every class in the school would have been admitted to a treatment program!
2. Also according to SAMHSA, heroin and other opiates accounted for the largest percentage of drug-related admissions (20.0 %) to treatment facilities, second only to alcohol admissions . You might say, “Whew! At least drugs weren’t number one!” (But that would be a mistake, because alcohol abuse is just as harmful as drug abuse!) Recently it was reported in Washington D.C., that heroin abuse has surged. “This kind of sneaked up on us,” according to U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Heroin has actually become much cheaper than stolen prescription drugs in the illegal market.
3. In 2010, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, 2.7 % of people 12 years of age and over abused “psychotherapeutic” drugs in the previous month. These are such psychiatric drugs as Wellbutrin, Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Thorazine, Xanax, Effexor, etc. Some people have the idea that since these drugs are prescribed, they must be safe for anyone. Unfortunately, these drugs are just as dangerous as illegal drugs. One large study found that several common anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills were linked to an increased risk of death.
4. SAMHSA also says that in 2008, almost 60% of people admitted to publicly funded substance abuse treatment programs were white. This may strike at some people’s preconceived ideas as to who are the majority of substance abusers. Perhaps some people think that drug abuse only occurs in lower income groups. The important thing to remember is that drug abuse threatens all groups and communities, regardless of where they are, and who lives there. Drug abuse is an equal opportunity problem!
5. Of the people admitted to publicly funded treatment programs in 2008, the age group from 20 to 29 years old had about a 14.6% admittance rate, while kids from ages 12 to 19 years old had an admittance rate of 5.8%. It may be that college age kids do more experimenting with drugs, once they are not at home any more, with parents keeping an eye on them. Possibly the younger age groups have more difficulty getting drugs to abuse. But, as mentioned at the beginning, the legalization of marijuana in Colorado has led to increased availability of marijuana to kids under the age of 18 years old. One of the lies about marijuana is that it is not addictive. This has been proven to be false data, as shown by the number of people who enter treatment programs every year for marijuana addiction!
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/druguse.htm
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/treatment-statistics
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/16/heroin-overdose-addiction-threat/7785549/