INDUSTRY NEWS
Ecstasy Use on the Increase
A recently-released Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) report reveals that the rate of illicit drug use remained stable in the United States last year. The same study, which is released annually, also indicated resurgence in the use of ecstasy and LSD among young adults in the past year.
Bush administration officials announced earlier this month that overall drug use trends are encouraging, particularly for youth. About 9.8 percent of 12-17 year-olds admitted using drugs in the past month, a level comparable to the year before. That is, however, a significant drop from the 11.6 percent who acknowledged drug use in 2002.
Use of hallucinogens among those ages 12-17 remained stable last year, the survey indicated. But there was a statistically significant increase in the use of ecstasy among the 18 to 25 age group. Within that group, 3.8 percent reported the use of ecstasy in the past year. In 2005, 3.1 percent acknowledged ecstasy use.
SAMHSA conducts this annual survey of around 67,000 individuals in order to monitor drug, alcohol and tobacco use in the United States. About 14.6 million people age 12 and over used marijuana in the past month, while 9.6 million used illicit drugs other than marijuana.
(Source: http://www.samhsa.gov)
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