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Nationwide Study: Drug Use Dips, but Alcohol Use on Rise

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 February 2007, 09:50 CST

By Donna Leinwand

Seven states in the South and Midwest are driving an increase in the percentage of people nationwide who drink alcohol regularly, a new study shows.

Alaska for the third year in a row has the highest rate of illegal drug use in the nation, the study found.

The study, being released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), found rates of illicit drug use significantly higher than the national average in nine other states -- Rhode Island, Vermont, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut -- plus Washington, D.C.

SAMHSA used data from interviews with 136,100 people 12 and older, collected as part of the National Surveys of Drug Use and Health in 2004 and 2005. Illicit drugs include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, non-medical use of prescriptions, inhalants and hallucinogens.

Nationally, 51.1% of Americans reported drinking alcohol in the past month, up from 50.2% in the previous study.

"We see a clear red flag around alcohol use," SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline said.

Those who said they drank alcohol in the past month ranged from a low of 30.1% in Utah to a high of 65.3% in Wisconsin, the study found.

"We've been at the top of all the states in terms of risky drinking, heavy drinking for a long time. It's part of the culture here," said Richard Brown, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Brown said Wisconsin has a $12.6 million grant over five years to screen people for risky drinking habits. He said the Legislature is considering raising beer taxes.

"We know one of the best ways to curtail drinking among young people is to raise the price, because they just can't afford it," he said.

Wisconsin also showed a significant increase in drinking, along with six other states: Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas.

North Dakotans reported the highest rate of binge drinking, with 31.5% having five or more drinks at one time in the previous month. The national rate is 22.7%, the study found.

Drug use nationwide dipped slightly from 8.1% to 8.02% in the previous study, while drug use in Alaska rose from 11.79% to 12.16%. One in 10 Alaskans said they smoked marijuana. Iowa had the lowest rate of illicit drug use, at 5.88%.

Stacy Toner, acting director of Alaska's Division of Behavioral Health, said the agency's annual report attributed the state's drug problems to a lack of services in isolated communities and poverty.

Source: USA TODAY

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