drug addiction recovery news | National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
A.5. Discussion of Findings
A.5.1. Illicit Drug Use
Based on NSDUH data from the 2004-2006 surveys combined, 8.1 percent of persons in the United States aged 12 or older had used an illicit drug in the past month. Northwest Iowa reported the lowest rate at 4.8 percent, and Region 5 in Montana had the highest rate at 13.8 percent. The 15 substate regions with the highest rates were dispersed among 10 States, with Alaska (Rural and Urban), California (Region 1 and Region 4), the District of Columbia (Ward 1 and Ward 2), Massachusetts (Boston and Western), and Rhode Island (Providence and Washington) each accounting for 2 regions. Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of illicit drug use in the past month, 8 regions were from five Midwestern States: Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Ohio. Moreover, Maryland had 3 regions (North Central, Prince George's, and West) and Texas had 2 regions (Region 10 and Region 11) that were among the 15 with the lowest rates of past month illicit drug use.
Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, and many of the substate regions having a high rate of illicit drug use reported similarly high rates of marijuana use. The national rate of past month marijuana use was 6.1 percent in 2004-2006. The lowest rate occurred in Utah's Central, Four Corners, San Juan, and Southwest region (3.0 percent). The highest rate was found in Montana's Region 5 (12.1 percent). The lowest group for past month marijuana use had 9 regions that were the same as those for past month illicit drug use, and 11 of the highest 15 substate regions for past month marijuana use were the same as for past month illicit drug use.
In 2004-2006, 39.2 percent of persons aged 12 or older in the Nation perceived a great risk in smoking marijuana once a month. Substate regions with low rates suggest that a larger percentage of the population do not think that smoking marijuana once a month is a great risk compared with regions with higher rates. The lowest rate was in District of Columbia's Ward 3 (17.9 percent), which was 1 of 2 substate regions in the District of Columbia that were among the regions with the 15 lowest rates. Other States with more than 1 region in the lowest 15 include Alaska and Oregon (2 regions each), New Hampshire (3 regions), and Washington (4 regions). The highest rate was in Mississippi's Region 5 (57.3 percent). Mississippi had 5 substate regions among the 15 with the highest rates. Other States with multiple substate regions in the top 15 included Alabama and Texas, each with 3 regions.
Most recent marijuana initiates were younger than 18 when they first used (OAS, 2007, p. 50). Nationwide, 1.7 percent of persons aged 12 or older had used marijuana for the first time in 2004-2006. Of the 15 regions in the highest group for first-time marijuana use, 8 regions were also in the highest group for past month marijuana use: Alaska (Southeast and Urban regions), Florida (Circuit 2), Massachusetts (Western), Montana (Region 5), Rhode Island (Bristol-Newport and Washington regions), and Vermont (Champlain Valley).
Nationally, 3.7 percent of persons aged 12 or older had used an illicit drug other than marijuana in 2004-2006 in the past month. Illicit drugs other than marijuana include cocaine (and crack), heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or any prescription-type psychotherapeutics used nonmedically. The nonmedical use of prescription-type psychotherapeutics includes the nonmedical use of pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, or sedatives and does not include over-the-counter drugs. Past month use of these substances ranged from a low of 2.3 percent in Region 6 of South Dakota to a high of 5.6 percent in the Northern C and D region of West Virginia. In the Midwest, 12 regions (5 in South Dakota, 4 in North Dakota, 2 in Iowa, and 1 in Minnesota) collectively accounted for 80 percent of the 15 regions in the country with the lowest rates of use of an illicit drug other than marijuana in the past month. Of the 15 substate regions with the highest rates, 11 regions were in the South (1 each in Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma; 2 each in Tennessee and West Virginia; and 3 in Florida).
The national prevalence rate for the use of cocaine in the past year among persons aged 12 or older was 2.4 percent in 2004-2006 and ranged from 1.3 percent in Region 6 of South Dakota to 5.2 percent in District of Columbia's Ward 2. Among the 15 substate regions with the highest rate of past year cocaine use, 5 were in the District of Columbia (Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, Ward 5, and Ward 6), 3 were in Rhode Island (Bristol-Newport, Providence, and Washington), and 2 were in Florida (Circuit 2 and Circuit 14). Regions with the lowest rates of past year cocaine use included three regions each from North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Dakota.
During 2004-2006, 4.9 percent of all persons aged 12 or older had used a pain reliever for nonmedical use within the past year. Estimates ranged from 2.5 percent in District of Columbia's Ward 7 to 7.9 percent in Florida's Circuit 1. Oklahoma (Oklahoma County and Tulsa County), Tennessee (Region 1 and Region 4 [Davidson]), Utah (Salt Lake County and Weber-Morgan), and West Virginia (Northern C and D and South Central II) had more than one substate region among the regions with the highest 15 prevalence rates. Regions with the 15 lowest rates included 5 in the District of Columbia (Wards 4 through 8), 3 in South Dakota (Region 2, Region 3, and Region 6), 2 in Maryland (Montgomery and Prince George's Counties), and 2 in Pennsylvania (Regions 19, 26, 28, and 42 and Regions 5, 18, 23, 24, and 46).
A.5.2. Alcohol Use
Alcohol is the most commonly used substance in the United States. Nationally, about half (51.0 percent) of Americans aged 12 or older reported past month use of alcohol in 2004-2006. Utah County, Utah, had the lowest rate of any region in the Nation (21.0 percent). The District of Columbia (Ward 3) had the highest rate (78.7 percent). Among the 15 substate regions with the highest rates, five States each had 2 regions in this group: Connecticut (South Central and Southwest), District of Columbia (Ward 2 and Ward 3), Minnesota (Region 7A [Hennepin] and Region 7C), Rhode Island (Bristol-Newport and Washington), and Wisconsin (Northeastern and Southeastern). The 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of past month alcohol use were distributed across just four States: Kentucky (1 region), Mississippi (5 regions), Utah (5 regions), and West Virginia (4 regions).
Binge alcohol use is defined as drinking five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the 30 days prior to the survey. Nationally, past month binge alcohol use was reported by 22.8 percent of persons aged 12 or older during 2004-2006. Utah County, Utah, once again had the lowest rate (12.7 percent), while the highest rate was in Ward 2 in the District of Columbia (38.9 percent). Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of past month binge alcohol use, 12 were distributed across three States: Utah (all 6 regions), West Virginia (4 regions), and Mississippi (2 regions). Of the 15 substate regions with the highest rates of binge drinking, 11 were distributed across four States: District of Columbia (3 regions), North Dakota (2 regions), South Dakota (2 regions), and Wisconsin (4 regions).
In 2004-2006, 41.5 percent of persons aged 12 or older in the Nation perceived a great risk in having five or more drinks of an alcoholic beverage once or twice a week. Substate regions with low rates suggest that a larger percentage of the population do not think that this pattern of drinking is a great risk compared with regions with higher rates. The lowest rate was in Wisconsin's Northeastern region (28.5 percent), which was 1 of 5 Wisconsin regions among the 15 with the lowest rates. North Dakota had 3 regions and Massachusetts had 2 regions among the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates. The highest rate was in Florida's Circuits 11 and 16 substate region, with a rate of 53.0 percent. Substate regions in the top 15 with the highest rates included 3 in Mississippi and 2 each in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Texas.
The national rate of underage alcohol use in the past month (i.e., past month use of alcohol among persons aged 12 to 20) was 28.3 percent in 2004-2006. The lowest rate occurred in Utah County, Utah (14.5 percent), while the highest rate occurred in the District of Columbia's Ward 2 (53.2 percent). Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of past month underage alcohol use, 9 were in the South (2 in the District of Columbia, 1 in Maryland, 3 in Mississippi, 2 in South Carolina, and 1 in Tennessee). Among the 15 substate regions with the highest rates of past month underage alcohol use, 9 were in the Midwest (1 in Iowa, 3 in North Dakota, 2 in South Dakota, and 3 in Wisconsin).
Nationally, the rate of underage binge drinking during the past month was 19.0 percent in 2004-2006. The highest and lowest rates of past month underage binge alcohol use occurred in the District of Columbia: Ward 2 had the highest rate (39.0 percent), while Ward 7 had the lowest rate (8.7 percent). Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of underage binge drinking, 8 were in four States: District of Columbia (Ward 7 and Ward 8), Maryland (Baltimore City and Prince George's), Mississippi (Region 2 and Region 5), and Tennessee (Region 4 [Davidson] and Region 7 [Shelby]). Of the 15 substate regions with the highest rates of underage binge drinking, 10 were in four States: District of Columbia (Ward 2 and Ward 3), North Dakota (Badlands and West Central, North Central and Northwest, Northeast, and Southeast), Rhode Island (Bristol-Newport and Washington), and Wisconsin (Southeastern and Western).
A.5.3. Tobacco Use
In 2004-2006, 29.5 percent of all persons aged 12 or older used a tobacco product in the past month. Tobacco products include cigarettes, smokeless tobacco (i.e., chewing tobacco or snuff), cigars, or pipe tobacco. Tobacco is the second most commonly used substance in the United States next to alcohol. The lowest rate of past month tobacco use occurred in Utah County, Utah (17.3 percent). The highest rate was in West Virginia's South Central II region (43.1 percent). Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of past month tobacco use, 13 regions were in California (9 regions) and Utah (4 regions); the other 2 regions in this group were Honolulu, Hawaii, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Among the 15 substate regions with the highest rates of past month tobacco use, 4 were in Kentucky and 7 were in West Virginia.
During 2004-2006, the national rate of past month cigarette use among persons aged 12 or older was 25.0 percent. As with past month use of tobacco, the highest rate of past month cigarette use was in West Virginia's South Central II region (35.4 percent), and the lowest rate was in Utah County, Utah (15.9 percent). The majority of the 15 substate regions with the highest rates of past month cigarette use were in Kentucky (3 regions) and West Virginia (6 regions). Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of past month cigarette use, 9 were in California and 4 were in Utah; these are the same regions that were among the 15 with the lowest rates of past month tobacco use.
In 2004-2006, 74.1 percent of persons aged 12 or older in the Nation perceived a great risk in smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day. Substate regions with low rates suggest that a larger percentage of the population do not think that smoking one more packs of cigarettes is a great risk compared with regions with higher rates. The lowest rate was in Kentucky's Kentucky River, Mountain, and Pathways region (62.7 percent), which was 1 of 5 Kentucky regions among the 15 with the lowest rates. Ohio and Missouri each had 3 substate regions among the 15 with the lowest rates. The highest rate was in District of Columbia's Ward 3 and Florida's Circuits 11 and 16, each with a rate of 80.7 percent. States with multiple regions in the top 15 include California (6 regions), the District of Columbia (4 regions), and Utah (2 regions).
