Cannabis Use On the Rise, Use of Prescription Painkillers, Cocaine and Meth Declining

by TheJointBlog

 

The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health was released today, finding for at least the 6th straight year that cannabis consumption is on the rise. The report found that 7.3% of those 12 and older consumed cannabis in 2012, up from 5.8% in 2007.

Despite the rise in cannabis consumption, the use of prescription painkillers, cocaine and meth has been on a consistent decline; the usage of other drugs, such as psychedelics, remain steady.

According to the report; “Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit drug. In 2012, there were 18.9 million past month users. Between 2007 and 2012, the rate of current use increased from 5.8 to 7.3 percent, and the number of users increased from 14.5 million to 18.9 million.”

The number of last-month methamphetamine users, on the other-hand, is on a strong decline; “The number of past month methamphetamine users decreased between 2006 and 2012, from 731,000 (0.3 percent) to 440,000 (0.2 percent).”

There was also a drastic decrease in the number of young adults using cocaine; “There was a decrease from 2005 to 2012 in the use of cocaine among young adults aged 18 to 25, from 2.6 to 1.1 percent.”
Overall, despite the liberalization of cannabis policies across America, the number of youth cannabis consumers aged 12 to 17 is at 7.2%, down from 8.2% in 2002.

The full National Survey on Drug Use and Health report can be found by clicking here.