Teens (but not adults) backing away from illicit drugs; underage drinking, smoking remain problematic

Washington -- The latest national survey on drug abuse shows that illicit substance use has declined among young teens over the past four years, but alarming numbers of 18- to 25-year-olds are continuing to misuse prescription drugs. Increased use of illegal drugs is also reported among adults ages 50 to 54.

Data from the "2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health" show that drug use among 12- to 17-year-olds has dropped to levels not seen since the early 1990s. Over the past four years there has been a 16% average decline in illicit drug use among young teens, with marijuana use showing the steepest decline.

The annual survey, previously known as the "National Household Survey on Drug Abuse," measures the use of tobacco and alcohol as well as illegal drugs among a 67,500-member sample age 12 and older. The survey did not show that much progress had been made in discouraging underage drinking or tobacco use.

The resulting data are the government's primary source of information on substance use among the civilian, noninstitutionalized population.

Parents play a significant role in dissuading young teens from using drugs, said John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. Although 4.6% of teens who said their parents "strongly disapproved" of drug use reported that they used marijuana, five times as many teens who said their parents would not strongly disapprove used the drug.

Progress made, but still a ways to go

Walters spoke at a Sept. 6 briefing to release the survey and mark the start of a monthlong observance of the gains made by those in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse as well as their treatment providers.

Among the group with the highest rate of drug use, the 18- to 25-year-olds, marijuana use also had declined, but that good news was overshadowed by the increasing rates of prescription drug abuse among this group, according to the survey data.

"Most say they are getting drugs from the medicine cabinets of their families and friends," Walters said.

"Many of these are unused medications that should have been properly disposed of," added Terry Cline, PhD, administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, who also spoke at the briefing.

SAMHSA soon will launch a public education campaign that will detail how unused medications may be safely discarded. Information will be distributed by more than 6,000 pharmacies, Dr. Cline said.

The upward spiral since 2002 in drug use among people older than 50 is a surprise.

"We've never seen that before," Walters said. "This was typically a problem of youth." A push on preventing the initiation of substance abuse among the young is called for to prevent this carryover of use into middle age, he said.

"Although the survey results are encouraging, they show there is a long way to go before addiction services are treated with the same importance as are other medical conditions," Dr. Cline said.