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The Daily OrangeN.Y. among highest rates of drug, alcohol use in country
By Catherine Basham
Posted: 4/9/08, 10:48 PM EST Section: News
Nearly 1.4 million New Yorkers abuse or are dependent on alcohol, drugs or both.
A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided this and other information about substance abuse and mental health patterns in each state. Rates vary state to state, but all areas of the country are affected to some degree by drug, alcohol and mental health issues.
Nationwide, 9.2 percent of respondents 12 years old and older reported dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs or alcohol in the last year.
New York state had some of the highest rates of drug use in the country. More than 10 percent of people aged 12 and older reported using illicit drugs, which include marijuana, cocaine or heroin.
Stephen Maisto, a psychology professor who specializes in addictions research at Syracuse University, said this comes as no surprise, given New York's geographical location. Heavy drug use and drinking tend to be more common in the Northeast region of the United States. Maisto said high rates of cocaine use are also partly due to New York's large cities.
Approximately 2.81 percent of New Yorkers used cocaine in the last year, making it the state with the sixth-highest rate in the country.
"If you were to separate out New York City from the rest of the state, I don't know where New York would stand," Maisto said. "The numbers probably wouldn't be as high. Where the largest cities are, that's where you see the rates go up."
Reports like these are helpful for individual researchers, Maisto said, but are also used by policymakers and governments to develop and acquire funding for prevention and treatment programs.
The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) is the largest and most comprehensive treatment, prevention and recovery agency in the country.
OASAS uses data from the yearly SAMHSA reports to implement programs and policies based on the needs of the state.
A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided this and other information about substance abuse and mental health patterns in each state. Rates vary state to state, but all areas of the country are affected to some degree by drug, alcohol and mental health issues.
Nationwide, 9.2 percent of respondents 12 years old and older reported dependence on or abuse of illicit drugs or alcohol in the last year.
New York state had some of the highest rates of drug use in the country. More than 10 percent of people aged 12 and older reported using illicit drugs, which include marijuana, cocaine or heroin.
Stephen Maisto, a psychology professor who specializes in addictions research at Syracuse University, said this comes as no surprise, given New York's geographical location. Heavy drug use and drinking tend to be more common in the Northeast region of the United States. Maisto said high rates of cocaine use are also partly due to New York's large cities.
Approximately 2.81 percent of New Yorkers used cocaine in the last year, making it the state with the sixth-highest rate in the country.
"If you were to separate out New York City from the rest of the state, I don't know where New York would stand," Maisto said. "The numbers probably wouldn't be as high. Where the largest cities are, that's where you see the rates go up."
Reports like these are helpful for individual researchers, Maisto said, but are also used by policymakers and governments to develop and acquire funding for prevention and treatment programs.
The New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) is the largest and most comprehensive treatment, prevention and recovery agency in the country.
OASAS uses data from the yearly SAMHSA reports to implement programs and policies based on the needs of the state.
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Drug Treatment
posted 10/12/08 @ 10:03 PM EST
These results make perfect sense, whenever anyone outside of America thinks about America they usually think of New York. It has become the most popular place for many reasons, and being such a tightly packed city it's easy for drugs to be spread and hard to escape the temptation of alcohol. (Continued…)
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