1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse

Introduction

Although the prevalence of use of inhalants, hallucinogens, and heroin is relatively low, the use of these drugs is highly dangerous, and many types of inhalants are particularly easy to obtain. Heroin also is of great concern not only because it is addictive, but because it is usually taken intravenously and can therefore contribute to the spread of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In 1997, approximately 10% of the U.S. household population reported ever having used hallucinogens, and roughly 6% reported lifetime use of inhalants (see Table 2.1). The lifetime prevalence level of heroin use (0.9%) remained quite low compared with most other drugs; however, estimates of heroin use from the NHSDA are considered conservative due to probable undercoverage of the population of heroin users.

This page was last updated on June 16, 2008.

SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.