Teen Drug Use Down; Adult Drug Use Up

TEEN DRUG USE DOWN; ADULT DRUG USE UP
(Source:Washington Post)
08 Sep 2006

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

United States
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Youngsters are using fewer illegal drugs, but new data show a rise in use among older adults, perhaps because a few aging baby boomers have clung to their youthful ways, the government reported Thursday.

Just 6.8 percent of teenagers ages 12 to 17 said they had used marijuana in the past month in 2005, down from 8.2 percent in 2002, according to the annual survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Overall illicit drug use by teens also fell, from 11.6 percent in 2002 to 9.9 percent in 2005.

Illegal use of alcohol also fell among teens, with 16.5 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds saying they were drinkers and 9.9 percent reporting binge drinking -- having five or more drinks in a row. Both are down more than a full percentage point from 2004.

Among adults ages 50 to 59, however, the rate of illicit drug use increased from 2.7 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2005.

Overall drug use barely changed among Americans age 12 and older. About 19.7 million Americans, or 8.1 percent, reported that they had used an illicit drug in the past month in 2005, a rise from 7.9 percent in 2004.