MORE AMERICANS USED ILLEGAL DRUGS IN 2001, U.S. STUDY SAYS

Nearly 2 million more Americans used illicit drugs in 2001 than in 2000,
according to a major government survey released Thursday.

Experts say reasons range from stress after Sept. 11 to the shaky economy
to an atmosphere more accepting of marijuana use.

In 2001, an estimated 7.1% of the U.S. population, or 15.9 million people,
identified themselves as current drug users. In 2000 and 1999, about 6.3%,
or 14 million, said they were drug users.

The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, a survey of 70,000 people
conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, is the largest
study of drug use in America. Other findings:

* The percentage of Americans age 12 and older who consume alcohol
occasionally (at least one drink in the past month) rose from 46.6% in 2000
to 48.3% in 2001.

* The rates of drug use among younger people rose significantly. In 2000,
9.7% of teenagers and 15.9% of young adults 18-25 said they used a drug in
the month before the survey, vs. 10.8% of teens and 18.8% of young adults
in 2001.

* Marijuana, Ecstasy, pain relievers, tranquilizers and other non-
prescribed psychotherapeutic drugs remain the most popular. As many as 2.4
million Americans used marijuana for the first time in 2000, 1 million more
than in 1990, the survey estimated.

John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
Policy and an opponent of relaxing drug laws, says the growing social
acceptance of marijuana may have contributed to its popularity. Proposals
to decriminalize marijuana possession send the wrong message, he says.

But others say it's the taboo factor that entices people, especially
youngsters, to try marijuana.

"The 'forbidden fruit' phenomenon is a very strong motivator," says
Mitchell Earlywine, who teaches about drugs at the University of Southern
California.

Glen Hanson, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cites
post-Sept. 11 stress and concern over the economy as factors. "We are under
a lot of stress in this country now," he says. "Drugs stimulate the
pleasure center," and people may be using drugs to cope with problems.

About 16.6 million Americans are dependent on drugs or alcohol, the survey
says; 2.4 million are dependent on both.

For more information on the survey, go to www.samhsa.gov.