New NSDUH Report: Nonmedical Use of Pain Relievers in Substate Regions: 2004 to 2006
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August 29, 2008
Misuse of prescription drugs is second only to marijuana use as the nation’s most prevalent drug problem, according to a report based on data from the 2004-06 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The annual average number of people using pain relievers nonmedically for the first time in the past 12 months has exceeded the number of new marijuana users since 2002. Accordingly, misuse of prescription pain relievers has been cited as a growing public health problem.
The following are brief findings in the report:
- Past-year nonmedical use of pain relievers ranged from a low of 2.48 percent in a ward of the District of Columbia to a high of 7.92 percent in northwest Florida.
- Of the 15 substate regions with the highest rates of nonmedical use of pain relievers, 10 were in southern states and five were in western states.
- Of the 15 substate regions with the lowest rates of nonmedical use of pain relievers, seven substate regions were in southern states, four substate regions were in midwestern states, three substate regions were in northeastern states, and one substate region was in a western state.
The report, Substate Estimates from the 2004-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, measures and analyzes 23 substance abuse and mental health-related behavior levels in 345 substate regions representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In most states, the substate regions are defined in terms of counties or groups of counties. In a few states, these areas are defined in terms of census tracts. The results were based on the combined data involving responses from 203,870 people aged 12 or older throughout the United States.
For more information, visit the SAMHSA Web site to read the press release and full report.