Heroin use higher in 2013 vs. 2002, remains lower than other drug use

According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, heroin addiction trends have not improved in the United States within the past decade.

To determine heroin use, initiation, treatment and perceived availability, researchers assessed data for individuals aged 12 years and older from 2002 to 2013.

An estimated 169,000 individuals aged 12 years and older used heroin for the first time within the past year and of these, 21,000 were adolescents, according to data for 2013. This indicates approximately 460 people initiated heroin use each day. The average age of first use was 24.5 years in 2013.

First-time heroin use was similar from 2002 to 2013, ranging from less than 0.04% to 0.1% of the population aged 12 years and older.

Regarding heroin use, 0.3% of individuals aged 12 years and older (n = 681,000) used heroin within the past year in 2013. This rate remained relatively stable from 2009 to 2013, according to researchers, but was higher than rates in 2002 through 2008.

An estimated 6.9 million individuals were considered to have an illicit drug use disorder in 2013. Of these, 517,000 were dependent on or abused heroin, representing 0.2% of the general population and 8% of those considered to have an illicit drug use disorder.

In 2013, an estimated 2.2 million individuals received treatment for problems related to use of illicit drugs. Among these, 526,000 received treated for heroin compared with 277,000 in 2002.

Perceptions of the riskiness of weekly heroin use differed by age group. In 2013, the percentage of young adults perceiving great risk was higher than in 2002, but the perception of great risk was lower among adolescents. Adults perceived great risk at both times.

Survey respondents in 2013 reported felt heroin was less easily obtained than survey respondents in 2002.

“Although the number of heroin users is lower than the number of users of other substances, rates of heroin use were higher in 20013 than they were a decade ago… The concern that efforts to prevent the illegal use of prescription opioids are causing people to turn to heroin are not supported by the trend data,” the researchers wrote. “These findings in this report suggest a continuing need for prevention messages and heroin prevention and treatment programs.” – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.

Reference:

Lipari RN, et al. The NSDUH report: trends in heroin use in the United States. Available at: http://www.samhsa.gov. Accessed May 14, 2015.