January 16, 2003

Nonmedical Use of
Prescription-Type Drugs among
Youths and Young Adults
T
he National Household Survey on
In Brief Drug Abuse (NHSDA) asks respon
dents aged 12 or older to report their
● In 2001, almost 3 million most recent use of nonmedical prescription-
youths aged 12 to 17 and type drugs, as well as their age at first use.
Based on the responses to these questions,
almost 7 million young the prevalence of lifetime and past year use
adults aged 18 to 25 had and the annual numbers of new (i.e., first-
used prescription-type time) users are estimated. Use was defined
drugs nonmedically at as nonmedical if the drug was not prescribed
for the respondent or if the respondent took
least once in their lifetime the drug only for the experience or feeling it
caused. Prescription-type drugs do not in-
● Among persons aged 12 clude over-the-counter drugs and are classi-
to 25, the rate of past year fied in four categories: pain relievers, tran-
marijuana use was higher quilizers, stimulants, and sedatives. Re-
among those who had sponses were analyzed by the type of county
in which the respondents lived at the time of
used prescription-type the interview.1
drugs nonmedically in the
past year (63 percent)
Trends in Numbers of New Users
than those who did not (17
The NHSDA shows that the initiation of
percent) nonmedical prescription-type drug use oc-
curs primarily among persons age 12 to 25,

The NHSDA Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA.
Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov.
Citation of the source is appreciated.
NHSDA REPORT: NONMEDICAL USE OF PRESCRIPTION-TYPE DRUGS AMONGYOUTHS ANDYOUNG ADULTS January 16, 2003

and that new use has been

Figure 1. Annual Numbers of New Nonmedical Users of Prescription-
increasing. The annual number of Type Drugs, by Drug Category: 1965–2000
new users of pain relievers has been
increasing since the mid-1980s, from 2,500
about 400,000 initiates to 2 million Pain Relievers
in 2000 (Figure 1). New users of Tranquilizers
stimulants increased from more than 2,000 Stimulants
200,000 in 1991 to almost 700,000 Sedatives
in 2000. New users of tranquilizers
have been increasing since the mid- 1,500
1980s, but the largest increase has
been recently, from more than 1,000
700,000 new users in 1999 to almost
1 million users in 2000. The
number of new users of sedatives 500
remained around 100,000 per year
between 1988 and 1994. Starting in
1995, the number rose from 111,000 0
to 175,000 in 2000. 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Between 1998 and 2000, there
were more new users of pain
Figure 2. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year
relievers among 12 to 17 year olds
Nonmedical Use of Prescription-Type Drugs, by Age: 2001
than among 18 to 25 year olds.
Between 1994 and 2000, there were 20%
more new users of stimulants among
12 to 17 year olds than among 18 to
25 year olds. The age distribution 14.8 15.3
15% 13.8
of new users of tranquilizers shifted 12.6
12.5
in the 1990s; in 1990, about 15 11.7
11.1
percent of initiates were youths 10.6
10% 9.0 9.1
compared with about one third in 8.2
the late 1990s. 6.5
4.7
5%
Prevalence 2.6

In 2001, 36 million Americans (16

percent of persons aged 12 or older)
had used prescription-type drugs
nonmedically at least once in their
lifetime. This included 9.6 million
persons (18 percent) aged 12 to 25.
In 2001, almost 3 million youths
aged 12 to 17 (12 percent) and
almost 7 million young adults aged
18 to 25 (23 percent) had used
prescription-type drugs nonmedically
at least once in their lifetime.
Of the estimated 11.1 million
persons using prescription-type
drugs nonmedically in the past year,
nearly half (5.4 million) were aged
12 to 25. The rate of past year use
among youths was 8 percent in
2001, up from 7 percent in 2000.
0%
12 13 14 15
Among young adults, the rate of
past year use was 12 percent in
2001, up from 9 percent in 2000.
The rate of past year nonmedical
use of prescription-type drugs
increased with age from 3 percent
among 12 year olds to 15 percent
among 18 and 19 year olds, then
decreased to 8 percent among 25
year olds (Figure 2).
The most common category of
prescription-type drugs used
nonmedically by youths and young
adults in the past year was pain
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Age
relievers (youths, 6 percent; young
adults, 10 percent) (Figure 3). Pain
relievers include codeine,
methadone, meperidine (Demerol),
Percocet, hydrocodone (Vicodin),
and oxycodone (Oxycontin).
Among youths, females were
more likely to have used
prescription-type drugs nonmedically
in the past year (9 percent) than
males (7 percent). However, among
young adults, males were more likely
to have used in the past year (14
percent) than females (10 percent).
January 16, 2003 NHSDA REPORT: NONMEDICAL USE OF PRESCRIPTION-TYPE DRUGS AMONG YOUTHS ANDYOUNG ADULTS

Among persons aged 12 to 25,

Figure 3. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year
whites were more likely to have used
Nonmedical Use of Prescription-Type Drugs, by Age Group and Drug
prescription-type drugs nonmedically Category: 2001
in the past year than Hispanics,
blacks, or Asians (whites, 12 percent; 15% 12 to 17
Hispanics, 8 percent; blacks, 6
12.1 18 to 25
percent; Asians, 5 percent).
Youths in non-metropolitan or
9.6
small metropolitan areas were more 10%
likely to have used prescription-type 7.9
drugs nonmedically in the past year 6.4
(9 percent) than youths in large 4.2
5%
metropolitan areas (7 percent). 3.4
However, among young adults, the 2.2
1.7
rate of past year nonmedical use of 0.3 0.6
prescription-type drugs was similar 0%
among metropolitan and non- Any Pain Relievers Stimulants Tranquilizers Sedatives
metropolitan county types. Prescription-
Type Drug

Other Illicit Drug Use

Figure 4. Percentages of Persons Aged 12 to 25 Reporting Past Year
Those youths and young adults who Use of Selected Illicit Drugs, by Nonmedical Use of Prescription-Type
used prescription-type drugs Drugs: 2001
nonmedically in the past year had a
higher rate of other illicit drug use 70% Nonmedical Use of
63.0
in the past year as well (Figure 4). Prescription-Type Drugs
60%
For example, 63 percent of youths Past Year Use
and young adults who had used 50% No Past Year Use
prescription-type drugs nonmedically
40% 35.1
in the past year had also used
marijuana in the past year 30%
compared with 17 percent of youths 22.3
20% 16.8
and young adults who had not used 14.0
prescription-type drugs nonmedically 10% 3.7 1.7 1.7 2.6
in the past year. 0.1
0%
Marijuana Hallucinogens Cocaine Inhalants Heroin
End Notes (including
1. Large metropolitan areas have a population of crack)
1 million or more. Small metropolitan areas
have a population of fewer than 1 million. Non-
metropolitan areas are outside metropolitan
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse Information and data for this issue are based on
statistical areas (MSAs), as defined by the
(NHSDA) is an annual survey sponsored by the the following publication and statistics:
Office of Management and Budget.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Office of Applied Studies. (2002). Results from
Administration (SAMHSA). The 2001 data are
the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug
based on information obtained from 69,000
Figure Notes Abuse: Volume I. Summary of national findings
persons aged 12 or older, including more than
(DHHS Publication No. SMA 02-3758, NHSDA
45,000 persons aged 12 to 25. The survey
Source (Figure 1): SAMHSA 1999-2001 NHSDAs. Series H-17). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse
collects data by administering questionnaires to
The 1999 number was estimated using 2000 and Mental Health Services Administration.
a representative sample of the population
and 2001 data only, and the 2000 number was
through face-to-face interviews at their place of Also available on-line:
estimated using 2001 data only.
residence. http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov.
Source (Figures 2–4): SAMHSA 2001 NHSDA.
The NHSDA Report is prepared by the Office of Additional tables available upon request.
Note: Nonmedical use of any prescription-type Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI in
pain reliever, tranquilizer, stimulant, or Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
sedative; does not include over-the-counter
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
drugs. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
Office of Applied Studies
www.samhsa.gov