- History, Pharmacology, and Prevalence
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Methamphetamine Overview
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Cocaine Overview
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Differences between Stimulants
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Heroin Overview
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Overview of Various Other Illicit Drugs
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- Clandestine Labs and Forms of Methamphetamine
- Levels of Illicit Drug Use and Factors Contributing to Use
- Health Consequences of Illicit Drug Use
- Treatment Modalities and Treatment Settings for Illicit Drug Abuse
- Illicit Drug Screening, Brief Intervention, and Treatment Placement
Methamphetamine Overview
History, Pharmacology, and Prevalence
Heroin Overview: Prevalence
According to the 2006 NSDUH, there were 91,000 persons aged 12 or older who had used heroin for the first time within the past 12 months. In 2006, the average age at first use among recent initiates aged 12 to 49 was 20.7 years. There were no significant changes in the number of initiates or in the average age at first use from 2005 to 2006.
Also, according to the 2006 NSDUH, approximately 466,000 people received treatment for heroin in 2006. The heroin treatment admission rate for the United States as a whole decreased by 6 percent between 1995 and 2005, from 109 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 102 per 100,000.[1]
Heroin Use by Demographic Group
In 1995 and 1996 combined, males accounted for 67% of the persons that used heroin in the past year. Twenty-two percent of heroin users were 12-17 years old and 21% were 35 years and older. Sixty-nine percent of heroin users were White, 21% were Black, and 9% were Latino. In regard to education in adult heroin users, 41% had less than a high school degree.[2]
See Graph 1 for statistics of primary heroin admissions by race/ethnicity and route of administration in 1995 and 2005. See Graph 2 for statistics of primary heroin admissions by age group and route of administration in 1995 and 2005.
Heroin Use by Region
According to the NHSDA for the combined years of 1995 and 1996, rates of past year heroin use varied little by region―0.2% lived in the Northeast and Northcentral, 0.3% in the South, and 0.1% in the West. Heroin use was also consistent across population densities. Persons living in large metropolitan areas, small metropolitan areas and outside a metropolitan area all had a heroin user rate of 0.2%.[2]
Opioid/Heroin-Related Hospitalizations in Arizona
References
- (1) SAMHSA. Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS): 1995-2005. 2005.
- (2) Epstein J, Gfroerer JC. Heroin Abuse in the United States. 2006 Mar 2.
- (3) Cunningham JK. Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Heroin/Opioid Hospital Admissions in Arizona: Trends and Regional Variations (1990-2006). Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona; 2007.
- (4) NIH. Prescription Drug Abuse. Bethesda, MD; 2006 Apr 10.
