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Youth Meth Use Higher Than First Estimated

Crystal Meth use among young adults is more than twice the rate previously estimated, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Among young adults, ages 18-26, 2.8% reported using crystal Meth in the new study, compared with 1.4% in the 2002 Monitoring the Future Survey.

The new NIDA-funded study, published in the journal Addiction, also included the following findings:

• Young adult users are disproportionately white and male and live in the West.

• The odds of use for Native Americans were 4.2 times higher than that for whites.

• Meth users also tend to have lower social economic status, and use other substances, such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine.

• Male crystal Meth users are more likely to have had incarcerated fathers.

The study’s authors interviewed more than 14,000 people ages 18-26.  Please visit the Addiction abstract for details.

From: Crystal methamphetamine use among young adults in the USA
Authors: Bonita J. Iritani, Denise Dion Hallfors, Daniel J. Bauer (2007)
Published in: Addiction 102 (7), 1102–1113.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01847.x