New NSDUH Report: Use of Specific Hallucinogens: 2006

Hallucinogens are drugs that distort the user's perception of reality. Hallucinogens, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) are manufactured chemicals, while others, such as psilocybin mushrooms and the herb salvia divinorum, occur in nature. These drugs can produce visual and auditory hallucinations, feelings of detachment from one's environment and oneself, and distortions in time and perception.

Although some indicators of hallucinogen use have shown decreases in the past several years, from 2005 to 2006 the number of persons who first used ecstasy in the past 12 months increased , and the past year prevalence of this drug is showing signs of increase among young people. In addition, there is evidence suggesting the emergence of new hallucinogens, such as salvia divinorum, which has been marketed as an “herbal high.”

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asked persons aged 12 or older questions related to their use of any type of hallucinogen in the past year. The survey also asked about use of individual hallucinogens; questions specifically about LSD, PCP, and Ecstasy have been included for several years. Beginning with the 2006 survey, NSDUH also has included specific questions about past year use of ketamine, the tryptamine drugs dimethyltryptamine (DMT), alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), and 5-methoxy-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT or “Foxy”), and salvia divinorum.

A recent report based on data from the 2006 NSDUH, Use of Specific Hallucinogens: 2006, examines the prevalence and patterns of the use of each of these hallucinogens.

Highlights include the following:

• Based on the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health of persons aged 12 or older, 23 million had used LSD, 6.6 million used PCP, 2.3 used ketamine, 1.8 million used salvia divinorum and 0.7 million had used DMT, AMT, or Foxy at least once in their lifetime.
• Among youth aged 12 to 17, females were more likely than males to have used ecstasy in the past year (1.4 percent versus 1.0 percent).
• Among youth aged 12 to 17, males were more likely than females to have used salvia divinorum in the past year (0.9 percent versus 0.3 percent).
• In 2006, young adults aged 18 to 25 were more likely than youths aged 12 to 17 or adults aged 26 or older to be past year users of LSD, ecstasy, and salvia divinorum.

The NSDUH is an annual survey of approximately 67,500 people conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Office of Applied Studies. The survey collects information from residents of households, residents of non-institutionalized group quarters, and civilians living on military bases.

For more information, visit the SAMHSA Web site to read the key findings and full report.