NCJ Number
233621
Date Published
April 2010
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This issue presents facts about adolescent substance use, including initiation, receipt of treatment, and emergency department (ED) visits for substance use "on an average day."
Abstract
Results indicate that almost one third of adolescents aged 12 to 17 drank alcohol in the past year, around one fifth used an illicit drug, and almost one sixth smoked cigarettes. Although the percentage of adolescents using alcohol, cigarettes, and illicit drugs declined between 2002 and 2008, the percentage of persons aged 12 to 17 receiving substance abuse treatment remained relatively stable. In addition, the number of adolescents seen in an ED for the use of illicit drugs or the misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals remained stable from 2004 to 2008. In 2008, 7.5 percent of all persons admitted to publicly funded treatment facilities were aged 12 to 17. The Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates critical public health data. Data were collected from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), and the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) for adolescents aged 12 to 17; data collected from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) were for youths under 18 years old. 6 figures and 15 notes