SAMHSA Celebrates
Recovery Month and Releases Annual Household Survey on Drug Use; Survey Finds Significant Increase in Prescription Drug
Misuse
On September 6th, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) held a press conference to kick off Recovery Month and to mark the release of the annual National Survey on Drug Use
and Health (NSDUH). Recovery Month is an annual month-long event that promotes access to recovery, celebrates those in treatment
and recovery, and helps to educate communities about how individuals with addiction histories can overcome the stigma and discrimination associated
with the disease. The NSDUH is the primary source of information on the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco in the United
States. Speakers at this press conference included: John Walters, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy (ONDCP); Dr. Terry Cline, Administrator of SAMHSA; Dr. H. Westley Clark, Director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment;
Jared Hess, a person in long-term recovery and staff for Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR); and Dr. Gwendolyn Brown, Chief Executive Officer for
Genesis Prevention Coalition, Inc.
While the NSDUH did show a significant decrease in drug use for
young people between 2002 and 2006, the survey also indicated a significant increase in misuse of prescription drugs among youth 18 to 25; in
addition, the survey showed that prescription drugs are now the second most prevalent type drug abused overall. The NSDUH also
showed a continuing increase in drug use among individuals in their 50s. Key findings from the NSDUH showed:
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23.6 million people, or 9.6 percent of the population age 12 or older,
needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem. Of these individuals, 2.5 million, or 10.8 percent of those who
needed treatment, received it at a specialty facility. 21.1 million people, or 8.6 percent of the population, needed treatment for
an illicit drug or alcohol use problem but did not receive it at a specialty facility in the past year.
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Rates of drug use among youth were stable between 2005 and 2006; however,
between 2002 and 2006 drug use by 12 to 17 year olds declined from 11.6 percent to 9.8 percent. Rates of current use of
illicit drugs were higher for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, with 19.8 percent of that age group using illicit drugs.
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In 2006, 7 million Americans reported past month non-medical
misuse of prescription drugs. The survey estimates that 75 percent of these prescription drugs are pain killers such as OxyContin
or Vicodin and that 55.7 percent of individuals reported that they obtained these prescription drugs from friends or family.
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Approximately 7.2 million people between the ages of 12 and 20, or 19
percent, were binge drinkers and that 2.4 million, or 6.2 percent, were heavy drinkers. These percentages were essentially
unchanged since the 2002 NSDUH.
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Of the 17.9 million individuals currently using illicit drugs who were 18
years old or older, 13.4 million, or 74.9 percent, were employed either full- or part-time.
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The NSDUH found that in 2006 there were an estimated 731,000 people who
currently used methamphetamine, 0.3 percent of the population; this estimate did not significantly change between 2002 and 2006.
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The NSDUH also found for a second year that the illicit
drug usage rate for people in their 50s has significantly increased; between 2002 and 2006, the rate of drug use for people between the ages of
50 and 54 rose 76 percent, from 3.4 percent to 6.0 percent.
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During the press conference, several of the speakers
emphasized the need to build on the areas of success in reducing youth drug use and that much work remains.
ONDCP Director John Walters spoke about the importance of parents in reducing teen drug and alcohol use, citing NSDUH
questions that found that youth who believed their parents would strongly disapprove of their marijuana use had a much lower rate of usage than those
youth who did not feel their parents would strongly disapprove. Director Walters also praised the thousands of people who are in
recovery from addiction and highlighted how important it is for the voices of those in recovery to be heard.
In his comments, Dr. Cline expressed his concern with the rising
level of prescription drug misuse. Dr. Cline briefly discussed a new SAMHSA initiative that will seek to educate the public about
the importance of proper disposal of medications. While noting the declines in youth drug and tobacco use, Dr. Cline stated that
levels of underage drinking, particularly among 18 to 20 year olds, remain high and emphasized that community coalitions and partnerships at the
local level need to be supported so that these rates can decline. Dr. Cline spoke about the effectiveness of drug addiction
treatment and about another new SAMHSA initiative called the ACTION (Adopting Changes to Improve Outcomes Now) Campaign that seeks to increase access
and keep clients engaged in treatment.
In her comments, Dr. Brown spoke about her work with the Genesis
Prevention Coalition in Atlanta and how a comprehensive, community-based approach to eliminating youth drug and alcohol use is most
effective. Dr. Brown also spoke about Atlanta’s taskforce on underage drinking and how it is necessary to engage all
segments of the community, including government, law enforcement and business partners, in order to have a successful youth prevention
effort.
To mark Recovery Month, Mr. Jared Hess spoke about his
long-term recovery from addiction to prescription drugs. Speaking as a young person in recovery, Mr. Hess spoke about the
thousands of young people around the country who are in long-term recovery and how they are a large and important part of the recovery
community. Mr. Hess also spoke about how difficult it is for many individuals to get the drug addiction treatment services they
need, noting that many insurance policies do not cover addiction treatment.
Additional information about Recovery Month can be found at: http://www.recoverymonth.gov/.
The NSDUH can be found at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUHlatest.htm.
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Legislation to
Reduce Federal Alcohol Tax Introduced in the Senate
On August 3rd, Senators Ken Salazar (D-CO), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA),
Jon Tester (D-MT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Richard Burr (R-NC), introduced S. 1995, legislation that would amend current law to reduce the federal
excise tax on beer to its pre-1991 level. Under the legislation, the current federal tax on beer would be reduced by fifty
percent. Following its introduction, S. 1995 was referred to the Senate Finance Committee where the legislation awaits review. An
identical bill, H.R. 1610, was introduced in the House in March; H.R. 1610, which has 127 bi-partisan co-sponsors, awaits review in the House Ways
and Means Committee.
The text and status of S. 1995 and H.R. 1610 can be found at:
http://thomas.loc.gov/.
Senate
Confirms New White House Budget Office Director
On September 4th, the Senate voted to approve the nomination
of former Congressman Jim Nussle (R-IA) to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB is the White House
office responsible for developing the President's annual budget proposal to Congress. Mr. Nussle will succeed former OMB Director
Rob Portman, who announced his resignation in June. The Senate approved Mr. Nussle’s nomination with a 69 to 24 vote; 23
Democrats voted with all of the present Senate Republicans to approve Mr. Nussle. Mr. Nussle served as a member of Congress
from1990 until 2007, serving as chair of the House Budget Committee during the 107th, 108th and 109th Congresses. Mr. Nussle left
the House to wage an unsuccessful campaign to become the governor of Iowa.
More information about OMB can be found at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/. Mr. Nussle’s comments at the President’s swearing-in ceremony can be found
at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070910-2.html
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