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Illicit drug use among the general population was essentially unchanged from 1996 to 1997, despite an increase in youthful marijuana use, according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse released last month.
The survey by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) found that, among 12- to 17-year-olds, marijuana use increased from 7.1 percent in 1996 to 9.4 percent in 1997. Marijuana continued to be the illicit drug of choice across all age groups, with about 60 percent of illicit drug users reporting marijuana use only.
HHS found that an estimated 13.9 million Americans, or about 6.4 percent of the population age 12 and older, had used an illicit drug in the month prior to the survey, little changed from the estimated 13 million users found in 1996.
While some addiction specialists voiced concern, others took a more cautious approach. "I think we should wait until the high school study comes out in the fall to draw conclusions," remarked Herbert Kleber, M.D., a member of APA's Council on Addiction Psychiatry and medical director of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in New York.
"Last year the household survey showed a decrease, and the high school survey showed an increase," which makes it hard to tell whether the apparent increase in marijuana use by youths was an emerging trend or a statistical anomaly, he added.
Richard Frances, M.D., a consultant to the APA addiction council, saw the results as cause for concern. "I think it's alarming that the trends are on the way back up," said Frances. "I think there is a need for" more of the kind of antidrug advertising conducted by the Partnership for a Drug Free America.
After basketball star Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose in June 1986, the perception of risks of drug use rose dramatically, said Frances. But the public's collective memory is short, and perceptions of risk are now down, he added. Since today's 12-year-olds were born only in 1986, the survey suggests the need for continuing education. "I think psychiatrists should be speaking out more forcefully in their communities about risk factors for substance abuse," Frances contended. "We really should encourage our colleagues not to be in a cocoon about these things."
The survey "shows that our work in combating drug use must be focused on our young people," said HHS Secretary Donna Shalala in a statement. In the same statement Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Barry McCaffrey said the study "confirms the significant threat from illegal drugs to our children. We must face this threat head on, which we intend to do."
But several drug policy organizations issued statements suggesting that the results show a need for new drug policies.
"Arresting adults does not prevent kids from smoking pot," said Chuck Thomas, communications director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), which favors legalizing marijuana for adults. In a recent MPP report titled, "Marijuana Prohibition Has Not Curtailed Marijuana Use by Adolescents," the organization noted that annual surveys since 1975 have consistently found that about 85 percent of the nation's high school seniors find marijuana easy to get and that in several states where marijuana was decriminalized, there were no significant effects on youthful marijuana use.
The Washington, D.C.-based Drug Policy Foundation (DPF) urged policymakers to reject the status quo. The "latest increase among youth is a reason to investigate alternative policies that can more effectively control drug use while reducing crime, corruption, and disease," said DPF Communications Director Robert Stewart.
A summary of the HHS survey can be found at the Web site of the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 162.99.2.50/oas/nhsda/nhsdafls.htm. Other relevant Web sites include those of the Office of National Drug Control Policy at www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov, Marijuana Policy Project at www.mpp.org, and the Drug Policy Foundation at dpf.org.