AMERICAN INDIANS' DRUG USE TWICE AS HIGH AS OTHER GROUPS

INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

WASHINGTON -- Drug use among American Indians was found to be twice as high
as any other population in America, according to a recent report.

The report combines data from three national surveys -- the 1991, 1992 and
1993 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse. The data were provided by
more than 87,000 respondents. Overall findings suggest that social,
demographic and economic differences influence levels of substance use,
alcohol abuse and dependence and need for drug-abuse treatment.

The report, released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, identified varying levels of substance use among 11 racial
and ethnic groups that make up the U.S. population.

It is the first report on national estimates of illicit drug use, alcohol
abuse and dependence, tobacco use and need for drug-abuse treatment for
blacks, Asians/Pacific Islanders, whites, American Indians, Caribbean
Americans, Central Americans, Cuban Americans, Mexican Americans, Puerto
Ricans, South Americans and other Latino Americans.

According to the report, regardless of race or ethnicity, illicit drug use
is prevalent among individuals who reside in the West, reside in
metropolitan areas with populations greater than 1 million, lack health
insurance, are unemployed, unmarried and have between nine to 11 years of
schooling.

According to the survey results, substance abuse is a major health problem
affecting all 11 racial groups. Compared with the total U.S. population,
American Indians, Puerto Ricans, blacks and Mexican Americans have higher
rates of illicit drug use, heavy cigarette use, alcohol dependence and need
for drug-abuse treatment. Asians/Pacific Islanders, Caribbean Americans,
Central Americans and Cuban Americans exhibit lower rates.

``This report helps us to untangle the effects of social and economic
factors relating to substance use -- family income, family structure,
employment, education, health insurance coverage -- so that the root causes
of these disparities can be addressed,'' said Nelba Chavez, administrator
for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the
agency that released the report.

This agency is under the Department of Health and Human Services and is the
federal government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability
of substance-abuse pre-vention, addiction treatment and mental-health
services in the United States.

Use of any illicit drug among the total U.S. population (age 12 and older)
was exhibited in 11.9 percent of those surveyed.

Marijuana use among American Indians was the highest among the 11 subgroups
at 15 percent. Puerto Ricans ranked 10.8 percent, blacks 10.6 percent,
other Latino Americans 9.1 percent, Mexican Americans 9.1 percent,
Caucasians 8.9 percent, South Americans 8.4 percent, Cuban Americans 5.9
percent, Caribbean Americans 5.6 percent, Asians/Pacific Islanders 4.7
percent and Central Americans 2.7 percent.

Among American Indian populations, the need for drug treatment rated 7.8
percent. Alcohol dependence among American Indians ranked 5.6 percent,
compared with Mexican Americans, 5.6 percent, whites 3.4 percent, blacks
3.4 percent. Alcohol dependence among all Latino Americans ranked less than
3 percent of the total U.S. population.

Jim Michie, with the office of communications for the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Service Administration, said the survey raises more questions
than provides answers: ``What this study does is raises a great many
questions that obviously need answers, points us in directions and refines
our focus on [what] we ought to be asking. It gives us a road map, if you
will, on what direction we need to take, rather than continue on with major
ethnic groups.''

He said President Clinton is proposing in the budget for the National
Household Survey on Drug Abuse the funding for a yearly sample of 70,000,
which would allow them to do more studies of this kind.

The administration plans to conduct studies on various racial populations
in individuals states.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski