The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a new report, Results from the 2011 Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, based on a survey of over 67.000 people concerning their use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs. While this survey was not offered to incarcerated individuals, those working with individuals with a criminal history might find it useful in their work.
Highlights from the section on the criminal justice population include:
In 2011, an estimated 1.7 million adults aged 18 or older were on parole or other supervised release from prison at some time during the past year. More than one quarter of these (26.5 percent) were current illicit drug users, with 20.4 percent reporting current use of marijuana and 9.1 percent reporting current nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs. These rates were higher than those reported by adults aged 18 or older who were not on parole or supervised release during the past year (8.4 percent for illicit drug use, 6.8 percent for marijuana use, and 2.3 percent for nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs).
In 2011, an estimated 4.7 million adults aged 18 or older were on probation at some time
during the past year. More than one quarter (28.5 percent) were current illicit drug users, with
23.6 percent reporting current use of marijuana and 10.1 percent reporting current nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs. These rates were higher than those reported by adults who were not on probation during the past year (8.2 percent for illicit drug use, 6.6 percent for marijuana use, and 2.2 percent for nonmedical use of psychotherapeutic drugs).
A section on marijuana shows the how prevalent marijuana usage is in America, and the potential for arrest, conviction and incarceration, as well as the collateral consequences of such.
In 2011, an estimated 16.7 percent of past year marijuana users aged 12 or older used marijuana on 300 or more days within the past 12 months. This translates into nearly 5.0 million persons using marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis over a 12-month period.
In 2011, an estimated 39.1 percent (7.1 million) of current marijuana users aged 12 or older used marijuana on 20 or more days in the past month. This was similar to the 2010 estimate of 39.8 percent or 6.9 million users.
The report also addresses treatment for alcohol or substance abuse, and shows an increase in the number of individuals who were treated while incarcerated during a ten year span.
In 2011, 3.8 million persons aged 12 or older (1.5 percent of the population) received treatment for a problem related to the use of alcohol or illicit drugs. Of these, 1.2 million received treatment for the use of both alcohol and illicit drugs, 0.8 million received treatment for the use of illicit drugs but not alcohol, and 1.4 million received treatment for the use of alcohol but not illicit drugs. (Note that estimates by substance do not sum to the total number of persons receiving treatment because the total includes persons who reported receiving treatment but did not report for which substance the treatment was received.)
The rate and the number of persons in the population aged 12 or older receiving substance use treatment within the past year was stable between 2010 (1.6 percent and 4.2 million) and 2011 (1.5 percent and 3.8 million) and between 2002 (1.5 percent and 3.5 million) and 2011.
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