Admissions up on all drug fronts

Admissions to substance abuse treatment involving methamphetamine and narcotic pain medications have increased sharply, indicate data released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, Md. In a recent 12-month period, methamphetamine admits jumped 10%. Similarly, treatment admissions for narcotic pain medications as primary drug of abuse rose 12%.

"The alarming growth of methamphetamine use and, in part, its popularity can be explained by the drug's wide availability, ease of production, low cost, and its highly addictive nature," says SAMHSA administrator Charles Curie. "We are working to ensure that science-based treatments are available to those in need. People can and do recover from methamphetamine dependence with treatment."

"This reports shows once again the terrible harm that dangerous drugs like meth inflict upon our country," cautions John Waiters, director of National Drug Control Policy, Washington, D.C. "Addiction is a treatable disease, and through the expansion of programs like Access to Recovery, we are helping more Americans who are suffering from this disease."

Meanwhile, alcohol as a primary substance for admission to treatment dropped from over 1,900,000 admissions to more than 1,800,000. Among those in treatment for alcohol abuse, 44% report secondary drug abuse. Cocaine admissions rose from 245,332 to 249,556, but declined from 17% of those admitted to treatment for alcohol or drug abuse in 1993 to 14% at present.

Marijuana as a primary substance of abuse accounted for 15% of admissions to treatment in 2003, up from seven percent in 1993. Forty percent of marijuana admits were between the ages of 15 and 19, a much higher percentage than for any other drug.

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