U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson recently released findings of the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse showing that overall rates of current use of illicit drugs were relatively unchanged last year, although drug use did decline among early teenagers and cigarette use dropped among teens and young adults.

Among youths aged 12 to 17, 9.7 percent reported current illicit drug use in 2000, meaning they used an illicit drug at least once during the 30 days prior to the time of the survey interview. This compares to a 9.8 percent rate in 1999. The survey also showed that current cigarette use declined between 1999 and 2000 among youths aged 12 to 17 and young adults aged 18 to 25.

The report also revealed patterns of drug use. For instance, only 3 percent of youths aged 12 and 13 reported illicit drug use in 2000. Drug-use rates among youth increased with age, peaking at 18 to 20 years of age. Beyond age 20, drug use generally declined. Alcohol-use rates among youths aged 12 to 20 and the general population have remained relatively flat for the past several years. In 2000, of the 9.7 million people aged 12 to 20, 27.5 percent reported drinking alcohol in the past month.

"While the rates of drinking for all age groups have remained unchanged over the past several years, we are encouraged by the news that the rate of people driving under the influence of alcohol over the past year declined from 10.9 percent to 10.0 percent. The rate of people driving under the influence of drugs also declined, from 3.4 percent in 1999 to 3.1 percent in 2000," said Joseph H. Autry III, M.D., acting administrator of HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which directs the annual survey.

See complete survey results online.