NCJ Number
195105
Date Published
2001
Length
106 pages
Annotation
This report is a comprehensive assessment of the threat posed to American society by illicit drugs; it integrates the most recently available reporting from national-level law enforcement, intelligence, and health and human service agencies, as well as from nearly 2,600 State and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Abstract
The report indicates that illicit drugs are available throughout the United States and have an impact on all segments of society, but adolescents and young adults are apparently the most affected. Of the more than 24 million individuals aged 12 and older (nearly 11 percent of the U.S. population) reported by the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse as using an illicit drug in the past year, more than two-thirds were between 12 and 35 years old; of these, over half (54 percent) were between the ages of 15 and 22. There are regional variations in illicit drug availability, price, purity or potency, and user preference largely because of factors such as law enforcement focus, education and health programs, and user demographics; however, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana pose the greatest concern for law enforcement and treatment providers nationwide. Emerging substance abuse trends are of increasing concern, such as the rise in the availability of MDMA, other dangerous drugs such as GHB, and diverted pharmaceuticals. Detailed information is provided on the threat of each of these drugs. Information on money laundering from illegal drug proceeds is also provided. 10 tables, distribution maps, a list of data sources, and appended data on selected national drug abuse indicators