Drug abuse in teens and other groups is a social problem that has been part of western culture for generations. However, it is only since the second half of the 20th century – with the increased use of cocaine, pills such as Ecstasy and so called “designer drugs” – that the problem has become a real issue; in a generation of teenagers, these types of drugs are so widely accepted – in some groups viewed in the same vein as alcohol – that they now can cause a real problem.
There are various reports detailing the statistics on drug abuse that are available, with each report being compiled by different organizations or agencies. However, there is an inherent problem with drug abuse statistics – the stats are very much estimated figures. Some organizations rely on surveying people, and although this can achieve “ball-park” figures, is rarely definitively accurate because many people who are surveyed and asked the question “have you taken drugs this year?” will not tell the truth, regardless of if they are advised the survey is anonymous or not. Statistical agencies are aware of this, and amend their data to compensate or caveat that the data is possibly showing lower figures than is actually accurate. Some agencies combine surveying with anonymous hospital stats etc., and can provide more accurate data.
It is estimated that nearly 10% of teenagers have taken illicit drugs. The amount, and severity, of drug abuse in teens is, however, a difficult thing to quantify. This 10% figure is representative of all types of drugs – cannabis, cocaine, heroin, etc. – and of course there is a different severity of issue associated with each. Whilst there is some (but by no means conclusive) evidence that cannabis use during the teen years is damaging to the brain, it of course could not be classified as abuse in the same way as heroin use, which is severely damaging, both to the individual user and to society as a whole.
If you are searching for specific stats relating to drug abuse in teenagers or any other group, the CDC website has data spanning back for several years.
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