Substance Abuse Prevention Briefing

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America

Ignoring Drug and Alcohol Prevention Is Costly

The total overall costs of substance abuse in the U.S., including productivity, health and crime-related costs, exceed $600 billion annually. This includes approximately: $193 billion for illicit drugs $235 billion for alcohol $193 billion for tobacco
2 3

1 US, Dept of Justice NDIC, The Economic Impact of Illicit Drug Use on American Society, 2011 2 Rehm J, Mathers C, Popova S, Thavorncharoensap M, Teerawattananon Y, Patra J. Global burden

of disease and injury and economic cost attributable to alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. Lancet. 2009 Jun 27;373(9682):2223-33. [Table 4] 3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs2007. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; October 2007

Cost/Benefit For Prevention

Prevention Yields Huge Savings Effective substance abuse prevention can yield major economic dividends. For every dollar invested in prevention between $2.00 to $20.00 can be saved.1

Swisher, J.D., Scherer, J. and Yin, K. (October, 2004). The Journal of Primary Prevention. Cost-benefit estimates in prevention research. 25:2.
1

What the Research Shows To Support the Need For Prevention

Drug addiction is a developmental disorder that begins in adolescence, sometimes as early as childhood, for which effective prevention is critical.1

1 Quote

by Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

ADDICTION IS A DEVELOPMENTAL DISEASE that starts in adolescence and childhood

% in each age group who develop % in each age group who develop dependence dependence

1.8% 1.8% 1.6% 1.6% 1.4% 1.4% 1.2% 1.2% 1.0% 1.0% 0.8% 0.8% 0.6% 0.6% 0.4% 0.4% 0.2% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0%

TOBACCO

CANNABIS ALCOHOL

5 10 15

21 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65

Age

Age at tobacco, alcohol and cannabis dependence per DSM IV

National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, 2003. National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, 2003.

Increasing the Age of Initiation is Key

Adolescents who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence. Each additional year of delayed drinking onset reduces the probability of alcohol dependence by 14%.1 Of youth who began drinking before age 15, 40% were classified as dependent later in life. 2 Children who first smoke marijuana under the age of 14 are more than five times as likely to abuse drugs as adults, than those who first use marijuana at age 18.3
1

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2006). Underage Drinking A Growing Healthcare Concern. Available: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/PSA/underagepg2.htm. 2Grant, B.F., and Dawson, D.A. Age at onset of alcohol use and its association with DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey. J Sub Abuse 9:103-110, 1997. 3The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) report. August 23, 2002. Available: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k2/MJ&dependence/MJdependence.htm

Peer Drug Use and Lower Test Scores

Kids Count StudyState of WA1
Findings link lower test scores to peer substance abuse - not to individual student use as one might expect. Students whose peers had little or no involvement with drinking or drugs scored higher on standardized tests, while those whose peers were involved with drinking or drugs failed to meet the requirements of the standardized tests. On average, students whose peers avoided substance use had test scores (measured by the Washington Assessment of Student Learning reading and math scores) that were 18 points higher for reading, and 45 points higher for math

Bence, M., Brandon, R., Lee, I., Tran, H. University of Washington. (2000). Impact of peer substance use on middle school performance in Washington: Summary. Washington Kids Count/University of WA: Seattle, WA. Available: http://www.hspc.org/wkc/special/pdf/peer_sub_091200.pdf

Perception of Risk and Social Disapproval

Research demonstrates that illegal drug use among youth declines as the perception of risk and social disapproval increases.

 Softening attitudes generally precede an increase in drug use rates by approximately two years.
When the 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey results were released, Lloyd Johnston stated:
Not only is use rising, but a key belief about the degree of risk associated with marijuana use has been in decline among young people even longer, and the degree to which teens

disapprove of use of the drug has recently begun to decline. Changes in these beliefs and attitudes are often very influential in driving changes in use. 1

1Johnston,

L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (December 14, 2009). "Teen marijuana use tilts up while some drugs decline in use." University of Michigan News Service: Ann Arbor, MI. Retrieved from http://www.monitoringthefuture.org

12th Graders Past Year Marijuana Use vs. Perceived Risk of Occasional Marijuana Use

SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2011 Monitoring the Future Study SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2009 Monitoring the Future Study

The latest MTF data shows disturbing trends, as attitudes have softened and use has increased.

Percent Perceiving Great Risk of Smoking Marijuana Regularly

SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2009 Monitoring the Future Study 2011

Percent of Students Reporting Marijuana Use, Cigarette Use in Past Month, by Grade

Denotes significant difference between 2010 and 2011.

SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2011 Monitoring the Future Study SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2009 Monitoring the Future Study

Percent Perceiving Great Risk of Taking Amphetamines among 12th Graders

100 80 60 40 20 0 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11
Try once or twice Take regularly

SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2011 Monitoring the Future Study

Percent of 30-day, Annual and Lifetime Use of Amphetamines Among 12th Graders
14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2009 2010 2011
SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2011 Monitoring the Future Study

30-Day Use Annual Use Lifetime Use

The 2011 Monitoring the Future Survey also found that nearly 1 in 20 of all 12th graders reported the nonmedical use of OxyContin in the past year.

SOURCE: University of Michigan, 2011 Monitoring the Future Study