How prevalent is drug addiction?
According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 21.6 million persons aged 12 or older in 2003 were classified with substance dependence or abuse (9.1 percent of the total population). Of these, 3.1 million were classified with dependence on or abuse of both alcohol and illicit drugs, 3.8 million were dependent on or abused illicit drugs but not alcohol, and 14.8 million were dependent on or abused alcohol but not illicit drugs. Of the 6.8 million persons classified with dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs, 4.2 million were dependent on or abused marijuana, 1.5 million were dependent on or abused cocaine, and 1.4 million were dependent on or abused pain relievers (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004). Among workers, 7.8 percent reported illicit drug use in the past month, and 1.9 percent were dependent or abusing illicit drugs in the past year. The rates of past month substance use were highest among workers aged 18 to 25 years,
