Methamphetamine statistic raises concern in NSDUH

This month's release of data from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) offered some mixed findings on trends in use of illegal stimulants.

While cocaine use numbers saw no significant changes from the previous year in any age group in the 2017 data, past-year use of methamphetamine increased signficantly in the 18-to-25 age group. The prevalence of past-year use in this group grew to 1.1% in 2017, up from 0.8% in 2016.

Elinore McCance-Katz, MD, PhD, who leads the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), said in a recorded presentation of the survey data that the methamphetamine problem remains largely a regional phenomenon. The states in the highest prevalence category for methamphetamine use among all age groups combined are Alaska, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Dakota.

McCance-Katz said that “the numbers increasing in transitional age youth tells us that this is a substance of concern,” adding that methamphetamine will be an area of focus at SAMHSA and the parent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over the next year.