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This report presents results from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) for 2002, and trend data for 1992 to 2002. The report provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics of the 1.9 million annual admissions to treatment for abuse of alcohol and drugs in facilities that report to individual State administrative data systems.

TEDS does not include all admissions to substance abuse treatment. It includes facilities that are licensed or certified by the State substance abuse agency to provide substance abuse treatment (or are administratively tracked for other reasons). In general, facilities reporting TEDS data are those that receive State alcohol and/or drug agency funds (including Federal Block Grant funds) for the provision of alcohol and/or drug treatment services.

Major Substances of Abuse

• Five substances accounted for 95 percent of all TEDS admissions in 2002: alcohol (43 percent), opiates (18 percent; primarily heroin), marijuana (15 percent), cocaine (13 percent), and stimulants (7 percent; primarily methamphetamine) [Table 2.1b].

Alcohol

• Alcohol as a primary substance accounted for just over two-fifths (43 percent) of all TEDS admissions in 2002, down from three-fifths (59 percent) in 1992. However, 45 percent of primary alcohol admissions reported secondary drug abuse as well [Table 2.1b].



• Alcohol admission rates generally were highest in the Northeast and Midwest, particularly in the New England and West North Central States. For the United States as a whole, the alcohol admission rate declined by 26 percent between 1992 and 2002, from 457 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 337 per 100,000. This rate of decline was equaled or exceeded in 24 States [Table 2.3b and Figure 3].



• About three-quarters of admissions for abuse of alcohol alone and for abuse of alcohol with secondary drug abuse were male (76 percent and 74 percent, respectively) [Table 3.1a].



• Almost three-quarters (71 percent) of alcohol-only admissions were non-Hispanic White, followed by non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics (13 percent and 11 percent, respectively). Among admissions for alcohol with secondary drug abuse, 59 percent were non-Hispanic White, followed by 26 percent who were non-Hispanic Black and 10 percent who were Hispanic [Table 3.1a].



• For alcohol-only admissions, the average age at admission was 39 years, compared with 34 years among admissions for primary alcohol with secondary drug abuse [Table 3.1a].

Heroin

• TEDS admissions for primary heroin abuse increased from 11 percent of all admissions in 1992 to 15 percent in 2002, exceeding the proportion of admissions for primary cocaine abuse for the fourth consecutive year [Table 2.1b].



• Heroin admission rates were highest in the Northeast, in both the Middle Atlantic and New England States. For the United States as a whole, the heroin admission rate increased by 45 percent between 1992 and 2002, from 82 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 119 per 100,000. Heroin admission rates increased by 100 percent or more in 21 States during this time period [Table 2.4b and Figure 4].



• About two-thirds (69 percent ) of primary heroin admissions were male [Table 3.1a].



• Nearly half (48 percent) of primary heroin admissions were non-Hispanic White, followed by 25 percent who were Hispanic and 24 percent who were non-Hispanic Black [Table 3.1a].



• For primary heroin admissions, the average age at admission was 36 years [Table 3.1a].



• Sixty-two percent of primary heroin admissions reported injection as the route of administration; 33 percent reported inhalation, and 3 percent reported smoking [Table 3.3].

Other Opiates

• TEDS admissions for primary abuse of opiates other than heroin increased from 1 percent of all admissions in 1992 to 2 percent in 2002 [Table 2.1b]. These drugs include non-prescription use of codeine, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, meperidine, methadone, morphine, opium, oxycodone, pentazocine, propoxyphene, and other drugs with morphine-like effects.



• Admission rates for opiates other than heroin were generally highest in the Northeast, particularly in the New England States. For the United States as a whole, the admission rate for opiates other than heroin increased by 200 percent between 1992 and 2002, from 6 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 18 per 100,000. In 34 States, 2002 rates were at least 100 percent higher than 1992 rates [Table 2.5b and Figure 5].



• Just over half (54 percent) of primary non-heroin opiate admissions were male [Table 3.1a].



• Most primary non-heroin opiate admissions (88 percent) were non-Hispanic White [Table 3.1a].



• For primary non-heroin opiate admissions, the average age at admission was 35 years [Table 3.1a].



• Three-quarters (75 percent) of primary non-heroin opiate admissions reported oral as the route of administration; 13 percent reported injection, and 9 percent reported inhalation [Table 3.3].

Cocaine/Crack

• The proportion of admissions for primary cocaine abuse declined from 17 percent in 1992 to 13 percent in 2002 [Table 2.1b].



• Cocaine admission rates were generally highest in the South and Northeast, particularly in the South Atlantic and Middle Atlantic States. For the United States as a whole, the cocaine admission rate declined by 24 percent between 1992 and 2002, from 133 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 101 per 100,000. This rate of decline was equalled or exceeded in 23 States [Table 2.6b and Figure 6].



• Smoked cocaine (crack) represented 73 percent of all primary cocaine admissions in 2002 [Table 2.1b].



• Fifty-nine percent of primary smoked cocaine admissions were male, compared with 67 percent of primary non-smoked cocaine admissions [Table 3.1a].



• Among primary smoked cocaine admissions, 57 percent were non-Hispanic Black, 34 percent were non-Hispanic White, and 7 percent were Hispanic. Non-Hispanic Whites predominated (48 percent) among primary non-smoked cocaine admissions, followed by non-Hispanic Blacks (33 percent) and Hispanics (16 percent) [Table 3.1a].



• For primary smoked cocaine admissions, the average age at admission was 37 years, compared with 34 years for non-smoked cocaine admissions [Table 3.1a]. Among primary non-smoked cocaine admissions, 73 percent reported inhalation as the route of administration; 14 percent reported injection, and 10 percent reported oral [Table 3.3].

Marijuana/Hashish

• The proportion of admissions for primary marijuana abuse increased from 6 percent in 1992 to 15 percent in 2002 [Table 2.1b].



• Marijuana treatment admission rates showed substantial increases across a large number of States, and were generally highest in the Midwest, particularly in the West North Central States. For the United States as a whole, the marijuana admission rate increased by 162 percent between 1992 and 2002, from 45 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 118 per 100,000. In 32 States, 2002 rates were at least 100 percent higher than 1992 rates [Table 2.7b and Figure 7].



• About three-quarters (76 percent) of primary marijuana admissions were male [Table 3.1a].



• Over half (55 percent) of primary marijuana admissions were non-Hispanic White, followed by 28 percent who were non-Hispanic Black and 12 percent who were Hispanic [Table 3.1a].



• For primary marijuana admissions, the average age at admission was 23 years [Table 3.1a].

Methamphetamine/Amphetamine and Other Stimulants

• The proportion of admissions for primary abuse of methamphetamine/amphetamine and other stimulants increased from 1 percent to 7 percent between 1992 and 2002 [Table 2.1b].



• Methamphetamine/amphetamine treatment admission rates were generally highest in the West, particularly in the Pacific States. For the United States as a whole, the methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rate increased by 420 percent between 1992 and 2002, from 10 per 100,000 population aged 12 and over to 52 per 100,000. Since 1992, methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates increased by 100 percent or more in 35 States, spreading east from the Pacific States into the Midwest and South [Table 2.8b and Figure 8].



• Over half (55 percent) of primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions were male [Table 3.1a].



• Three-quarters (74 percent) of primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions were non-Hispanic White, followed by 15 percent who were Hispanic and 3 percent each who were non-Hispanic Black and Asian/Pacific Islander [Table 3.1a].



• For primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions, the average age at admission was 31 years [Table 3.1a].



• Fifty-one percent of primary methamphetamine/amphetamine admissions reported smoking as the route of administration; 23 percent reported injection, and 17 percent reported inhalation [Table 3.3].

Race/Ethnicity

Among all racial/ethnic groups except Puerto Ricans, alcohol (alone or in combination with other drugs) was the most frequently reported primary substance at treatment admission. However, the proportion reporting primary use of the other four most common substances varied considerably by racial/ethnic group.

Adolescent Substance Abuse

• The number of adolescents aged 12 to 17 admitted to substance abuse treatment increased 65 percent between 1992 and 2002.





• The increase in adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions was largely accounted for by the increase in the number of adolescent primary marijuana admissions (350 percent between 1992 and 2002). The proportion of adolescent primary marijuana admissions grew from 23 percent of adolescent admissions in 1992 to 63 percent in 2002.





•  In 2002, more than half (53 percent) of adolescent admissions were referred to treatment through the criminal justice system. Seventeen percent were self- or individual referrals, and 11 percent were referred through schools.




• The number of adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions referred through the criminal justice system increased in every year but one from 1992 to 2002, while admissions referred through other sources have been stable or declined slightly since 1995.