According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the estimated the population of the United States on July 1, 2003 was 290,809,777. The majority of Americans were white (67.9%), followed by Hispanic/Latino origin (13.7%); black/African American (12.2%); Asian (4.0%); two or more races (1.3%); American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%); and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander (0.1%).1
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Extent of Use
The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that the highest rate of lifetime illicit drug use was among American Indians/Alaskan Natives (62.4%), followed by persons with two or more races (60.1%), Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander (51.0%), whites (49.2%), and black/African Americans (44.6%). The lowest rate of lifetime illicit drug use was among Hispanics (37.0%) and Asians (25.6%).2
The percent of individuals reporting current use of illicit drugs was as follows: 12.1% of American Indian/Alaska Natives, 12.0% of those reporting two or more races, 11.1% of Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islanders, 8.7% of blacks/African Americans, 8.3% of whites, 8.0% of Hispanics, and 3.8% of Asians.3
The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveys high school students on several risk factors including drug and alcohol use. The 2003 report showed that 23.9% of black, 23.8% of Hispanic, 21.7% of white, and 21.2% of "other" race high school students were current marijuana users.4
Reported Drug Use by High School Students, by Race/Ethnicity, 2003
According to 2003 findings from the Monitoring the Future study, current and lifetime use of illicit drugs was lower for black 8th, 10th, and 12th graders than white and Hispanic students. Among 12th graders, whites tended to have the highest rates of lifetime use for a number of drugs, including marijuana, inhalants, hallucinogens, LSD, heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines, sedatives (barbiturates), tranquilizers, and narcotics other than heroin. Hispanic seniors had the highest rate of lifetime usage for cocaine (all forms) and crystal methamphetamine ("ice").5
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Health Effects
|
Drug Episode: A drug-related
ED episode is an ED visit that
was induced by or related to the
use of drug(s).
|
According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network emergency department (ED) data, there were a total of 670,307 drug-related ED episodes during 2002. The majority of the episodes involved whites (372,727), followed by African Americans (142,974) and Hispanics (79,098).6
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Treatment
According to the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), 58.8% of those admitted to treatment facilities in the U.S. during 2002 were white.7
Race/Ethnicity of Treatment Admissions, 2002
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Arrests & Sentencing
During 2003, there were a total of 1,678,192 state and local arrests for drug abuse violations in the United Sates. Of the 1,168,013 drug abuse violations with race information available, 66.0% of those arrested were white, 32.6% were black, 0.8% were Asian or Pacific Islander, and 0.6% were American Indian or Alaskan Native.8
In FY 2002, there were 25,609 Federal defendants charged with a drug offense. More than a quarter (26.9%) of the defendants were white, 28.2% were black, and 42.7% were Hispanic. Individuals of another race made up 2.2% of the drug cases. The drug most often involved in Hispanic cases was marijuana. Methamphetamine was the most common drug type for whites and crack cocaine was the most common drug type for blacks.9
Of the individuals convicted of felony drug offenses in State courts during 2000, 53% were black and 46% were white. One percent of the offenders were of another race.10
During 2001, there were a total of 1,208,700 sentenced State prison inmates, 246,100 of whom were incarcerated for drug offenses. The majority of drug offenders held in State prisons were black (139,700), followed by whites (57,300), and Hispanics (47,000).11
A 1997 Bureau
of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey of prison inmates showed
that prior drug use among State prison inmates varied little
by race. Approximately 84% of both white and black inmates and
81% of Hispanic inmates had used drugs in the past. The percentage
of inmates that used drugs at the time of their offense was
also similar for all races. Approximately one third of Hispanic
(33.0%), black (31.9%), and white (33.9%) State prison inmates
had used drugs at the time of their offense.12
During 1995 there were a total of 2,065,896 State and local
probationers; of that total, 20% (414,832) were on probation
for a drug offense. White probationers (73%) had the highest
rate of prior drug use, followed by black probationers (68%)
and Hispanics (56%). Drug use at the time of the offense was
similar for white (14%) and black (15%) probationers, and lowest
for Hispanics (11%).13
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Other Links
Special Population Office (SPO) Web site
SPO addresses training and career development needs of minorities in drug abuse research and ensures that minority issues in drug abuse research are adequately represented.
Office of Minority Health (OMH)
The mission of OMH is to improve the health of racial and ethnic populations through the development of effective health policies and programs.
Office of Minority Health Resource Center (OMH-RC)
OMH-RC serves as a national resource and referral service on minority health issues.
Minorities and Drugs Publications
A listing of publications about minorities and drugs from various sources.
Racial & Ethnic Groups Data
This SAMHSA site provides data on drug abuse among racial and ethnic groups.
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Sources
1 U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Population by Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin for the United States (PDF)
2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings, September 2004
3 Ibid.
4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2003, May 2004
5 National Institute on Drug Abuse and University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2003, Volume I: Secondary School Students (PDF), August 2004
6 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Emergency Department Trends from the Drug Abuse Warning Network, Final Estimates 1995–2002, July 2003
7 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) Highlights–2002 (PDF), May 2004
8 Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States, 2003, October 2004
9 U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2002 Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics, 2004
10 Bureau of Justice Statistics, State Court Sentencing of Convicted Felons, 2000 (PDF), June 2003
11 Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prisoners in 2002, July, 2003
12 Bureau
of Justice Statistics, Substance
Abuse and Treatment of State and Federal Prisoners, 1997,
December 1998
13 Bureau
of Justice Statistics, Substance
Abuse and Treatment of Adults on Probation, 1995, March
1998
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