Drug Use by Americans, 12 Years and Older

Updated March 25, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The following table shows the number of Americans 12 years and older who have ever used and or currently use drugs, by year and type of drug.

Type of drug Ever used Current user
1979 1990 2000 2004 2007 2011 2013 1979 1990 2000 2004 2007 2011 2013
Any illicit drug1 n.a. n.a. 38.9% 45.8% 46.1% n.a. 48.6% n.a. 6.3% 7.9% 8.1% 8.0% 8.7% 9.4%
Marijuana and hashish 27.9% 30.5 34.2 40.2 40.6 29.3 43.7 13.2 5.4% 4.8 6.1 5.8 13.3 7.5
Cocaine 8.6 11.2 11.2 14.2 14.5 2.3 14.3 2.6 0.9 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.6
Crack n.a. n.a. 2.4 3.3 3.5 n.a. 3.4 n.a. n.a. 0.1 0.2 0.2 n.a. 0.1
Hallucinogens 8.9 7.9 11.7 14.3 13.8 n.a. 15.1 1.9 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 n.a. 0.5
LSD n.a. n.a. 8.8 9.7 9.1 n.a. 9.4 n.a. n.a. 0.2 0.1 0.1 n.a. 0.1
PCP n.a. n.a. 2.6 2.8 2.5 n.a. 2.5 n.a. n.a. 0.0 0.0 0.0 n.a. 0.0
Ecstasy n.a. n.a. 2.9 4.6 5.0 4.3 6.8 n.a. n.a. n.a. 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.3
Heroin 1.3 0.8 1.2 1.3 1.5 n.a. 1.8 0.1 n.a. 0.1 0.1 0.1 n.a. 0.1
Stimulants2 n.a. 5.5 6.6 8.3 9.1 n.a. 8.3 n.a. 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.4 n.a. 0.2
Methamphetamine n.a. n.a. 4.0 4.9 5.3 n.a. 4.7 n.a. n.a. 0.2 0.2 0.2 n.a. 0.2
Sedatives2 n.a. 2.8 3.2 4.1 3.4 n.a. 2.9 n.a. 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 n.a. 0.1
Tranquilizers2 n.a. 4.0 5.8 8.3 8.2 n.a. 9.0 n.a. 0.6 0.4 0.7 0.7 n.a. 0.6
NOTE: Current users are those who used drugs at least once within month prior to this study. n.a. = not available.
1. Any illicit drug indicates use at least once of marijuana/hashish, cocaine (including crack), heroin, hallucinogens (including LSD and PCP), inhalants, or any prescription-type psychotherapeutic used nonmedically.
2. Nonmedical use; does not include over-the-counter drugs.
Source: U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Web: www.oas.samhsa.gov.

 

 

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