Since the mid-1960s, when illicit drug use burgeoned in the normal youth population, substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly changing phenomenon. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously the nation responds to…

The Monitoring the Future study has provided the nation with a window into the important, but largely hidden, problem behaviors of illicit drug use, alcohol use, and tobacco use. It has provided a clearer view of the changing topography of these problems among adolescents and adults, a better understanding of the dynamics of factors that drive…

"MCPS School Safety and Security at a Glance" provides, in a single document, information about the reporting of incidents related to school safety and security, school climate, local school safety program descriptions, and serious incidents in all Montgomery County (Maryland) public schools. The information is presented for each school.…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Children's Campaign, providing state and county level data on child well-being factors including child health, education, and economic status. Since its first release 20 years ago, "Kids Count in Colorado!" has become the most trusted source for data and information on…

In 2006, more than 6 million individuals were victimized by violent crimes. Although violence is below levels of the early 1990s, it remains high. The extent of violence and its impact highlight a critical need to develop and implement effective programs to reduce violence and victimization. Communities have initiated a wide range of such…

Research has found mixed results when comparing the extent of substance use among Hispanic youths with use among non-Hispanic youths. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asks persons aged 12 or older about their use of illicit drugs and alcohol, including binge alcohol use, in the past month. Binge alcohol use is defined as drinking…

Males are more likely to use, abuse, and be dependent on alcohol or illicit drugs than females. The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) asked questions of persons aged 12 or older to assess their use of alcohol and illicit drugs, as well as their symptoms of substance dependence or abuse during the past year. NSDUH defines "any…

This report is the tenth in a series of annual publications produced jointly by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), in the U.S. Department of Education, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice. This report presents the most recent data available on school…

"SAMHSA News" is the national newsletter of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Published six times a year (bimonthly) by SAMHSA's Office of Communications, SAMHSA News contains information about the latest substance abuse and mental health treatment and prevention practices, recent statistics on mental health and…

The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) currently is implementing the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to "educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as alcohol and tobacco." Preceded by test phases of limited scope and impact, the fully integrated media campaign started in mid-1999, and ONDCP…

This report presents information from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) on rates of use, numbers of users, and other measures related to illicit drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and other forms of tobacco. This report includes separate chapters that summarize the findings of the survey on five topics: use of illicit drugs; use of…

Since the mid-1960s, when illicit drug use burgeoned in the normal youth population, substance use by American young people has proven to be a rapidly changing phenomenon. Smoking, drinking, and illicit drug use are leading causes of morbidity and mortality, both during adolescence as well as later in life. How vigorously the nation responds to…

In many arenas, the demand for data has outstripped the availability of good data and has increased the tendency to grab for whatever numbers are being circulated in the literature. As a result, when someone says: "This is the best data available," it is essential to remember that "best" does not always mean good. This caution is particularly…

This report on substance use is the first presenting State estimates from the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The report presents State estimates for 17 different measures related to substance use. Of these measures, 12 are based on an average for the combined years 1999 and 2000, while the remaining 5 only use the 2000 data.…

Most studies dealing with the impact of September 11, 2001 events are limited by reliance on recall of individuals about their behaviors before and after the events. To understand the consequences of significant, unexpected events, it is useful to have baseline information for the purpose of comparison. This report examines the potential effects…