Meth Trends

Information on meth trends from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that the number of past month meth users decreased between 2006 and 2008, but then increased in 2009. The numbers were 731,000 (0.3 percent) in 2006, 529,000 (0.2 percent) in 2007, 314,000 (0.1 percent) in 2008, and 502,000 (0.2 percent) in 2009. The number of past year initiates of meth among persons aged 12 or older was 154,000 in 2009. This estimate was significantly higher than the estimate in 2008 (95,000), but lower than the estimate in 2002 (299,000). Also, the number and percentage of past month nonmedical users of stimulants increased from 904,000 (0.4 percent) in 2008 to 1.3 million (0.5 percent) in 2009, based in part on an increase in methamphetamine users, from 314,000 (0.1 percent) to 502,000 (0.2 percent).

Meth trends from 2008-2009 notes that 40.9 percent of past year methamphetamine users aged 12 or older reported that they obtained the methamphetamine they used most recently from a friend or relative for free, lower than the 49.7 percent reported in 2006-2007. About three tenths (29.2 percent) bought the methamphetamine they used most recently from a friend or relative, and 21.2 percent bought it from a drug dealer or other stranger.

The number of recent new users of meth among persons aged 12 or older was 154,000 in 2009. This estimate was significantly higher than the estimate for 2008 (95,000), but lower than the estimate in 2002 (299,000). Notably, the average age of new meth users aged 12 to 49 in 2009 was 19.3 years, which was not significantly different from the corresponding estimate for the years between 2002 and 2008.

According to meth trends reported by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the methamphetamine use among teens appears to have significantly dropped. These meth statistics comes from a 2009 Monitoring the Future survey. The survey was given to 8th, 10th, and 12th graders and asked about their meth use in the last month, last year, and/or at least once in their lifetime. This report indicates the following meth trends:

• 1.2 Percent of high-school seniors reported using meth in the last year, which is the lowest since 1999.
• In 1999 4.7 percent of high-school seniors surveyed indicated they had used meth in the last year.
• 1.6 percent of 8th graders in 2009 reported using meth at least once in their lifetime, compared to 2.3 percent just the year before.
• 10th graders indicated that crystal methamphetamine was not as easy to obtain, noting a decrease to about 14 percent versus 19.5 percent just 5 years ago.
• The number of students who used meth in the last month is much lower than the once in a lifetime user.
• Only 0.5% 8th graders, 0.6% 10th graders, and 0.5% 12th graders had used meth in the past month.
• 1.0% 8th graders, 1.6% 10th graders, and 1.2% of 12th graders used meth in the past year.
• At least once in their lifetime figures came in at 1.6% of 8th graders, 2.8% of 10th graders, and 2.4% of 12th graders.

Other Meth Trends:

• About 10.4 Million people age 12 or older have used methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime. (ONDCP)
• Stimulants such as meth and crystal methamphetamine cause over 15,000 deaths annually within the US. (APA)
• In 2004, the number of emergency room admissions increased to over 150,000, which is about 8% of all drug-related admissions. (NIDA)
• In 1992, only 5 states reported high rates of treatment admissions for meth problems, but by 2002 this number increased to 21, more than one third of the States. (NIDA)
• Meth trends show that once a person becomes addicted to meth they are more likely to:
• Steal from friends and family
• Come in contact with sexually transmitted diseases
• Lose any stable employment
• Get a divorce
• Be arrested
• Lose the ability to make good decisions
• Become financially irresponsible
• Do things previously thought of as morally wrong in order to obtain more meth
• and the list goes on and on�''.