Drug abuse knows no income level, color or gender. People of all backgrounds report using drugs in anonymous surveys. Statistics show that drug abuse percentages vary greatly by the type of drug, and its accessibility and cost. Alcohol is relatively cheap, and extremely common, while cocaine is much more expensive, ranging from $12,000 to $50,000 per kilogram. Due to its cost, cocaine is far less prevalent than inexpensive drugs like prescription drugs, methamphetamines, marijuana and mushrooms.
Overall Drug Abuse Rates
A report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse states that in
2011, almost 9 percent of the population had used an illicit drug at
some point in the year. This means that almost 23 million people, aged
12 and older, abused an illegal and dangerous substance. Marijuana leads
amongst users, with over 28 million users estimated users in the year.
These rates do not include alcohol, a legal drug that is, in fact, the
most widely abused drug in America.
Alcohol
Alcohol is available in nearly every home and corner market in
the country. Its ease of access and physically addictive properties
leads to alcohol abuse and addiction by tens of millions each year. The
added cost to healthcare by alcohol use and abuse amounts to almost $240
billion dollars each year. In a recent survey by the National Institute
of Health, 52 percent of respondents reported alcohol use during the
prior 30 days, while an astounding 23 percent had participated in binge
drinking at one point in the same time frame.
Marijuana
By far the most widely abused illegal drug in America, marijuana
has become a relatively common drug throughout communities across
America. Two states - Washington and Colorado - have outright legalized
the drug for recreational usage, while federal statues have not been
repealed, creating legal nightmares and the idea that its usage is safe
and advisable. Over 28 million people had used marijuana at least once.
More shocking is the fact that nearly 35 percent of high school seniors
reported marijuana usage in the prior year of being surveyed.
Cocaine
The drug of excess and greed amongst socialites and Wall Street
workers in the 1980s has given way to widespread use today. Nearly 4
million Americans used cocaine at least once within a year's time,
according to a recent study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration. Of this number, 2.4 million users were white,
650,000 were Latino or Hispanic and 350,000 were black.
Crack, a crystallized form of cocaine that is slightly more addictive, is typically regarded as a drug used by African-Americans. In reality, the same report showed that of around 600,000 crack users, whites outnumbered blacks nearly two to one. The disparity of arrests for crack use is disproportionately weighed towards blacks, highlighting a need for justice and equality in the prosecution and treatment of drug abuse.
Crack, a crystallized form of cocaine that is slightly more addictive, is typically regarded as a drug used by African-Americans. In reality, the same report showed that of around 600,000 crack users, whites outnumbered blacks nearly two to one. The disparity of arrests for crack use is disproportionately weighed towards blacks, highlighting a need for justice and equality in the prosecution and treatment of drug abuse.
Drug abuse percentages show plainly how prevalent drug abuse is
in society. Efforts to curb drug use have been almost entirely
unsuccessful, especially methods that push for stricter sentences for
users and dealers alike. One of the few things that has worked, however,
is to make the cost of obtaining and using drugs prohibitively
expensive. Even then, users oftentimes switch to other drugs to get
their fix.
