First Time Users of Crack (1965 - 2003)

Trends in Initiation of Crack Use (1965 - 2003)

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Table 4.3A Numbers (in Thousands) of Persons Who Initiated Crack Use in the United States, Their Mean Age at First Use, and Rates of First Use (Per 1,000 Person-Years of Exposure): 1965-2003, Based on 2002-2004 NSDUHs
YEAR	NUMBER OF INITIATES (1,000s)			MEAN AGE	AGE-SPECIFIC RATES¹
YEAR	All Ages	Under 18	18 or Older	MEAN AGE	12-17	18-25
1965	*	*	*	*	*	*
1966	*	*	*	*	*	*
1967	*	*	*	*	*	*
1968	*	*	*	*	*	*
1969	15	*	*	*	*	*
1970	*	*	*	*	*	*
1971	*	*	*	*	*	*
1972	20	*	*	*	*	*
1973	36	*	*	*	*	*
1974	16	*	*	*	*	*
1975	34	*	26	20.7	*	0.6
1976	26	*	26	*	*	*
1977	54	*	41	19.3	*	1.2
1978	86	*	60	20.7	*	1.4
1979	70	*	62	22.1	*	1.6
1980	115	27	88	22.8	1.2	1.8
1981	125	16	109	22.8	0.7	2.6
1982	157	17	140	25.8	0.8	2.1
1983	200	15	185	24.4	0.7	3.6
1984	278	30	248	24.1	1.5	3.9
1985	350	41	309	24.7	2.0	6.0
1986	284	37	247	25.2	1.9	4.6
1987	302	39	263	23.7	2.0	5.4
1988	390	45	344	25.8	2.3	5.4
1989	388	13	375	25.1	0.7	7.3
1990	384	38	346	26.6	2.0	4.9
1991	370	35	334	26.0	1.7	5.8
1992	373	35	338	27.5	1.8	4.8
1993	369	39	330	28.1	1.9	4.8
1994	349	45	304	27.2	2.1	3.8
1995	393	48	345	27.4	2.2	5.9
1996	382	57	325	26.5	2.5	5.2
1997	357	55	301	26.2	2.5	5.4
1998	360	82	278	23.9	3.5	6.0
1999	399	61	338	27.1	2.5	5.6
2000	407	79	328	27.1	3.2	5.4
2001	365	78	287	25.3	3.1	5.3
2002²	340	82	258	23.5	3.3	5.2
2003³	303	79	225	23.1	3.1	4.5
*Low precision; no estimate reported. -- Not available. NOTE: Comparisons between years, particularly between recent estimates and those from 10 or more years prior, should be made with caution due to potential bias from reporting and other sources. ¹ The numerator of each rate is the number of persons in the age group who initiated use of the drug in the specified year, while the denominator is the person-time exposure of persons in the age group measured in thousands of years. ² Estimated using 2003 and 2004 data only. ³ Estimated using 2004 data only. Source: SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002, 2003, and 2004.