Teen and Adult Drug Use In USA

These stats are… Not surprising. In my group of friends the pie chart would have much bigger green and white sections.

“Drug use (and abuse) over the course of the twentieth century has fluctuated significantly. As new drugs have been introduced into the public, popularity has shifted between a number of legal and illegal substances. With these popularity shifts have come changes in social acceptance, legal tolerance, and use rates among the public.Drugs Over the Decades

Dozens of illicit substances are used daily around the nation. 5 of these substances have emerged as the most popular (and therefore most abused) over the years. Looking at these drugs based on their number of users gives a clear picture of the magnitude of national popularity, as well as a clear snapshot of the past four decades of use.

A necessary compliment to the sheer number of users is the percentage of national population using these illicit drugs.

The most frightening trend that can be seen in this information is the rise in number of users over the course of the decades. Between 1979 and 2006, the total number of illicit drug users almost doubled. Correspondingly, the percentage of users (as a percent of total population) rose over 14%. So, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, almost 50% of the US population has used illicit drugs at some point in their lives. Based on the most recent survey data, we can see that marijuana is by far the most popular substance used, making up almost half of all users nationwide.

Thanks to Vistablog for the interesting data…