Youth substance abuse treatment admissions: meth down, marijuana up

Though alcohol is the drug most commonly abused by adolescents, marijuana is, by far, the primary reason youth in Washington enter state-funded treatment.  (Source: 2010 Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drug Abuse Trends in Washington State, page 259)  The chart above shows that marijuana treatment admissions have increased over the past few years while meth-related admissions have decreased significantly.

WA high rates of nonmedical use of pain relievers

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released "States in Brief" reports from the National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health. From the first page of Washington's brief comes this statement:

"Washington's rates on many measures of use and abuse of alcohol and illicit substances have remained at or above the national rates. Of particular note are the rate of past year nonmedical use of pain relievers for all individuals 12 and older . . . . These rates have consistently been among the highest in the country."

The report also notes:

"While rates of unmet treatment need for alcohol use have generally been at or below the national rate, rates of unmet need for drug treatment in Washington State have generally been at or above the national rates for the population as a whole, as well as those age 18-25 and those age 26 and older."