Fast Facts

Youth

Crime

Cost to Society

Women/Girls

Marijuana

Tobacco

Illegal Drugs/RxDrugs

Alcohol

 
Youth

A child who reaches age 21 without smoking, drinking or using other drugs is virtually certain never to do so.
Teens who have infrequent family dinners are more than twice as likely to say that they expect to try drugs in the future.
Teens who have infrequent family dinners are twice as likely to have used tobacco; almost twice as likely to have used alcohol, and one and a half times likelier to have used marijuana.
5.7 million (26 percent) of public school students ages 12 to 17 say that their school is both gang- and drug-infected (drugs are used, kept or sold on school grounds).
Teens who attend schools infected with both gangs and drugs are five times likelier to use marijuana; three times likelier to drink; twelve times likelier to smoke; three times likelier to be able to get marijuana within an hour or less and five times likelier to get it within a day or less; and nearly five times likelier to have a friend/classmate who uses illegal drugs like acid, ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine or heroin.
Teens who have infrequent family dinners are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana; more than one and a half times likelier to use alcohol; and twice as likely to expect to try drugs in the future.
Teens who have seen their parent(s) drunk are more than twice as likely to get drunk in a typical month, and three times likelier to use marijuana and smoke cigarettes.
In 2009, more than one third of teens (8.7 million) said they can get prescription drugs to get high within a day; nearly one in five teens (4.7 million) could get them within an hour.
70 percent of abused and neglected children have parents who are risky drinkers or use other drugs.
Half of college students binge drink and/or use other drugs and almost a quarter meet medical criteria for alcohol or drug addiction.
Forty-nine percent (3.8 million) of full time college students binge drink, misuse prescription drugs and/or use illegal drugs.
1.8 million full-time college students (22.9 percent) meet the medical criteria for substance abuse and addiction.
In 2001 there were 1,717 deaths from unintentional alcohol-related injuries on college campuses.
In 2001, 97,000 students were victims of alcohol-related rape or sexual assaults on college campuses.
In 2001, 696,000 students were assaulted by a student who had been binge drinking on college campuses.
25.9 percent of underage drinkers meet clinical criteria for alcohol addiction.
Each day more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink.
Children and teens that begin drinking before age 15 are four times likelier to become alcohol addicted than those who do not drink before age 21.
If a teen is drinking, the odds are that teen is getting drunk – and teens who get drunk are much likelier to try marijuana and hang out with friends who are misusing prescription drugs or using illegal drugs.

Crime

1.5 million of the 2.3 million inmates in the U.S. meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction.
458,000 inmates have histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics.
Only 11 percent of all inmates with substance abuse and addiction disorders receive any treatment during their incarceration.
In 2006, alcohol and other drugs were involved in 78 percent of violent crimes; 83 percent of property crimes; and 77 percent of public order, immigration or weapon offenses; and probation/parole violations.
Alcohol is implicated in the incarceration of more than half of all inmates in America; illicit drugs are implicated in three quarters of incarcerations.
Only two percent of all inmates are incarcerated for marijuana possession as their controlling or only offense.
Eighty percent of the nation’s adult inmates and juvenile arrestees either committed their offenses while high, stole to buy drugs, violated alcohol or drug laws, had a history of substance abuse/addiction, or shared some mix of these characteristics.
Only 3.6 percent of the 1.9 million substance-involved juvenile arrestees receive substance abuse treatment.
At least 30 percent of adults in prison for felony crimes were incarcerated as juveniles.
Ninety-two percent of arrested juveniles who tested positive for drugs, tested positive for marijuana; 14.4 percent, for cocaine.
Four of every five children and teen arrestees in state juvenile justice systems are under the influence of alcohol or drugs while committing their crimes, test positive for drugs, are arrested for committing an alcohol or drug offense, admit having substance abuse and addiction problems, or share some combination of these characteristics.

Cost to Society

Substance abuse and addiction cost federal, state and local governments at least $467.7 billion in 2005.
For every $100 spent by state governments on substance abuse and addiction, the average spent on prevention, treatment and research was $2.38; Connecticut spent the most, $10.39; New Hampshire spent the least, $0.22.
For each dollar in alcohol and tobacco taxes and liquor store revenues that federal and state governments collect, $8.95 is spent on shoveling up the consequences of substance abuse and addiction.
Almost a quarter of a trillion dollars of the nation’s yearly health care bill is attributable to substance abuse and addiction.
Of every dollar government spends on substance abuse and addiction, 96 cents goes to shovel up the wreckage in crime healthcare and other social costs; only 2 cents goes to prevention and treatment.
90 percent of homeless have alcohol problems; 60 percent abuse other drugs.
Underage drinkers and adult pathological drinkers account for at least $48.3 billion and as much as $62.9 billion in alcohol sales in 2001.
Alcohol abuse and addiction cost the nation an estimated $220 billion in 2005 – more than cancer ($196 billion) and obesity ($133 billion).

Women and Girls

Girls and women become addicted to alcohol, nicotine and illegal and prescription drugs, and develop substance-related diseases at lower levels of use and in shorter periods of time than their male counterparts.
Fifteen million girls and women use illicit drugs and misuse prescription drugs.
Thirty-two million girls and women smoke cigarettes.
Six million girls and women are alcohol abusers and alcoholics.
Girls and young women are likelier to abuse substances in order to lose weight, relieve stress or boredom, improve their mood, reduce sexual inhibitions, self-medicate depression, and increase confidence.
High school girls drink, smoke and use illegal drugs as much as their male classmates.
At the same level of exposure to tobacco smoke, women have a greater risk of developing lung cancer than men.
Teen girls are more likely than boys to use over-the-counter drugs to get high.
Nearly one-quarter of all girls report beginning to drink alcohol before age 13.
Alcohol is involved in as many as 73 percent of all rapes and up to 70 percent of all incidents of domestic violence.

Marijuana

In 2007, approximately 204,000 high-school seniors used marijuana on a daily basis.
Almost 10 million 12- to 17-year olds can buy marijuana within a day, and almost four and a half million can buy it within an hour or less.
Since 1992, there has been a 175 percent jump in marijuana potency.
Scientific research suggests possible associations between marijuana use and schizophrenia, other psychotic disorders, and other mental health problems.

Tobacco

12- to 17-year olds who smoke are more than five times likelier to drink and 13 times likelier to use marijuana than nonsmokers.
61 million Americans are hooked on cigarettes.
Smoking at a young age is related to panic attacks, general anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Illegal Drugs/Rx Drugs

The number of illegal drug users has risen to 20 million in 2005.
Since 1992, the number of teen illegal drug users has more than doubled to 2.6 million in 2005.
85 percent of Web sites selling controlled prescription drugs do not require a prescription.
From 1992 to 2003 the number of Americans abusing controlled prescription drugs jumped from 7.8 to 15.1 million.
Prescription drug abuse is the most rapidly increasing drug abuse among teens.
Five million teens can get prescription drugs to get high within an hour.

Alcohol

1 in 4 Americans will have an alcohol or drug problems at some point in their lives.
The number of alcohol abusers and addicts holds steady at about 16 to 20 million.
Half of college students binge drink and/or abuse other drugs and almost a quarter meet medical criteria for alcohol or drug dependence.
Forty-nine percent (3.8 million) of full time college students binge drink and/or abuse prescription and illegal drugs.
In 2001 there were 1,717 deaths from unintentional alcohol-related injuries on college campuses.
Each day more than 13,000 children and teens take their first drink.
Underage drinkers and adult pathological drinkers consume between 37.5 percent and 48.8 percent of the value of all alcohol sold in the United States.
Six million girls and women are alcohol abusers and alcoholics.
The incidence of lifetime alcohol abuse and dependence is greatest for those who begin drinking between the ages of 11 and 14.
90 percent of homeless have alcohol problems; 60 percent abuse other drugs.

The facts on this page come from CASA's own published materials, including books and policy reports.