First Time Users of Stimulants (1965 - 2003)

Trends in Initiation of Non-Therapeutic Stimulants Use (1965 - 2003)

Source: National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Table 4.13A Numbers (in Thousands) of Persons Who Initiated Nonmedical Use of Stimulants 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
All Ages Under 18 18 or Older 12-17 18-25
1965 149 * 105 19.9 * 3.7
1966 218 47 171 20.1 2.2 7.5
1967 266 135 130 18.2 6.2 5.2
1968 348 156 192 18.1 7.1 8.1
1969 443 200 242 18.4 8.9 9.6
1970 577 228 349 18.9 10.0 13.2
1971 624 227 397 18.7 9.7 14.4
1972 626 270 356 18.6 11.4 12.7
1973 535 244 291 18.5 10.4 9.6
1974 603 247 356 18.5 10.4 12.8
1975 573 237 337 18.8 9.7 11.3
1976 600 237 363 19.5 10.1 11.7
1977 656 276 380 18.8 11.8 11.9
1978 593 227 366 19.4 9.9 11.0
1979 643 295 348 18.6 13.4 10.7
1980 672 291 381 18.9 13.5 11.9
1981 595 229 367 20.0 10.9 9.2
1982 597 236 361 19.6 11.0 10.0
1983 488 148 340 21.1 7.2 8.2
1984 424 169 255 19.2 8.2 7.4
1985 409 142 266 21.3 7.1 6.5
1986 397 142 255 20.1 7.2 7.3
1987 377 114 263 21.2 5.7 6.9
1988 344 135 209 20.2 7.1 5.7
1989 328 81 246 21.8 4.0 6.7
1990 317 99 218 21.3 5.0 6.0
1991 278 83 196 21.9 4.0 4.7
1992 303 127 176 20.8 6.2 4.3
1993 399 134 265 20.8 6.6 7.1
1994 432 174 258 20.3 8.1 6.8
1995 533 215 318 20.6 9.8 9.0
1996 577 228 349 20.3 10.2 10.2
1997 553 245 308 20.0 10.6 8.9
1998 648 280 369 20.2 11.7 10.1
1999 706 293 412 20.5 11.9 10.6
2000 808 362 446 19.9 14.6 12.0
2001 853 396 457 19.7 16.1 12.5
20022 775 381 393 19.1 15.0 11.0
20033 764 308 457 20.9 11.9 10.8
*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.

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