What is the prevalence of injection drug use in the United States?
In 2002 and 2003, 354,000 (0.2 percent) persons aged 12 or older had used a needle to inject heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, or other stimulants during the past year. In 2002 and 2003, males were twice as likely as females to report past year injection drug use. The last time they used a needle to inject drugs, 13.1 percent of past year injection drug users knew or suspected that someone else had used the needle before them, and 18.1 percent used a needle that someone else used after them. These estimates are based on a national survey of individuals, aged 12 or older, who were asked about injection drug use. The estimates are in the form of annual averages based on combined 2002 and 2003 data (from approximately 68,000 respondents each year). The data were collected as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). SOURCE: Office of Applied StudiesOAS. The NSDUH Report (April 8, 2005) [based on Results from the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Find
