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The 1997 National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that an estimated
13.9 million Americans age 12 and older had used an
illicit drug in the month prior to interview. This does
not show a significant increase overall, however, among
ages 12 to 17. This statistic increased 2.4% from 1996,
primarily due to an increase among 12- to 13-year-olds. |
Each year drug abuse kills
14,000 Americans and costs taxpayers nearly $70 billion in
unnecessary health care costs, extra law enforcement, auto
accidents, crime and lost productivity, not to mention the
immeasurable effects it has on persons involved. Illicit
drug abuse hurts families, businesses and neighborhoods,
impedes education and chokes the criminal justice, health
and social services systems. While overall use of drugs in
the United States has fallen by half in the last 15 years,
adolescent drug use continues at high levels.
Workplace
alcohol, tobacco and other drug-related problems cost U.S.
companies over $100 billion each year. Yet the workplace
often has not been used optimally for prevention of these
problems. Given that a large majority of the adult
population of the United States is employed, the workplace
is one of the most effective ways to reach adult Americans
and, in turn, their families and communities. Studies show
that alcohol and other drug users are far less productive,
use three times as many sick days, are more likely to injure
themselves or someone else and are five times more likely to
file worker's compensation claims.
Facts on
alcohol and drug abuse:
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Alcohol is a key factor in
up to 68% of manslaughters, 62% of assaults, 54% of
murders/attempted murders, 48% of robberies and 44 percent
of burglaries.
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Among jail inmates, 42.2%
of those convicted of rape reported being under the
influence of alcohol or alcohol and drugs at the time of
the offense
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Over 60% of men and 50% of
women arrested for property crimes (burglary, larceny,
robbery) in 1990 who were voluntarily tested revealed
evidence of illicit drug use.
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Pregnant women who use
drugs such as heroin, methadone, amphetamines, PCP,
marijuana, crack or cocaine can give birth to addicted
babies who undergo withdrawal, known as neonatal
abstinence syndrome. Signs of NAS include increased
sensitivity to noise, irritability, poor coordination,
tremors and feeding problems.
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Alcohol, nicotine,
marijuana, cocaine and heroin consumed by a nursing mother
are passed on to her baby through breast milk.
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50% to 80% of all child
abuse and neglect cases substantiated by child protective
services involve some degree of alcohol and other drug use
by the child's parents.
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More than 70% of all AIDS
cases among women are drug related, either through shared
infected, intravenous drug needles or through sexual
contact with men who became infected when they injected
drugs. Women who use intravenous drugs also risk passing
along HIV and drugs to their unborn children as well as
passing HIV to their children through breast milk.
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Approximately 70% of all
illegal drug users are currently employed.
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Up to 40% of industrial
fatalities can be linked to alcohol consumption and
alcoholism.
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Family members of
substance-abusing employees generally have higher than
average health care claims.
Sources:
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information;
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National
Institute on Drug Abuse; U.S. Department of Labor; National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, NCADD Fact Sheet;
U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics;
Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University, Substance
Abuse: The Nation's Number One Health Problem: Key
Indicators for Policy
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