Drugs and Adair County

                                                                                                                         

Underage drinking is when anyone under the age of 21 consumes alcohol (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism). Underage drinking is a widespread, public health risk. According to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 35.1% of 15-year-olds reported that they have had at least one drink in their lives, 5.4 million (14.2%) of people ages 12-20 have engaged in binge drinking (5 or more drinks a day), and 1.4 million (3.7%) of people ages 12-20 have engaged in heavy drinking (5 or more drinks a day in the past 30 days). According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), there have been 4,358 people under the age of 21 have died each year from alcohol-related car crashes, homicides, suicides, alcohol poisoning, and other injuries and there have been more than 190,000 serious injuries for people under the age of 21 (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism).

According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), most tobacco use begins at youth or young adult and among those who are current smokers, 88% of them said that they first smoked by the age of 18 and 99% of them reported that they first smoked by the age of 26 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). The current rate of tobacco use in Adair County in grades 6-12 is 16.1%, which is almost double the state rate of 8.1%.

Marijuana (may also be called cannabis) is dried leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2015). According to SAMHSA, short-term effects of marijuana usage are: problems with memory or learning, distorted perception, loss of coordination, and difficulty thinking and problem-solving. Marijuana use also increases the risk of cancers of the head, neck, lungs, and respiratory tracts. As of 2013, the national current use of marijuana in users 12 and older is 7.5% (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014). In Adair County, marijuana use in grades 6-12 is 3.4%.

The table below shows the Current Substance Abuse for Grades 6-12 in 2014 within Adair County. Currently, Adair County cigarette use for grades 6-12 is almost double the state average, and the age at first use is 14.59 years old. The use of hookah is 2.3% higher than the state average and the age at first use is unknown. The use of alcohol is 5.4% higher than the state average and the age at first use is 13.80 years old, which is 7.2 years before they are legally able to drink. Binge drinking (5 drinks or more a day) is 3.7% higher than the state average and the age at first use is not available. OTC abuse is 0.1% higher than the state average and the age at first use is unknown. Adair County is lower than the state average in e-cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants, prescription abuse, and synthetic use (Department of Health, 2015).

	30 Day Use: County	30 Day Use: MO	Age at First Use: County
Cigarettes	16.1%	8.1%	14.59
E-cigs	7.6%	10.2%	Unknown
Hookah	9.6%	7.3%	Unknown
Alcohol	19.3%	13.9%	13.80
Binge (5+ drinks)	9.8%	6.1%	N/A
Marijuana	3.4%	7.6%	16.07
Inhalants	0.5%	1.1%	12.95
RX Abuse	1.7%	3.7%	Unknown
OTC Abuse	1.7%	1.6%	Unknown
Synthetic	0.5%	0.8%	Unknown

References

Department of Mental Health. Behavioral Health Profile: Adair County. Department of Mental Health, June 2015. Retrieved from: http://dmh.mo.gov/ada/countylinks/docs/profile-adair.pdf 

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Underage drinking. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, n.d. Retrieved from: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/special-populations-co-occurring-disorders/underage-drinking

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Cannabis. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, June 2, 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.samhsa.gov/atod/cannabis 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings, NSDUH Series H-48, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4863. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Tobacco. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, October 10, 2014.  Retrieved from: http://www.samhsa.gov/atod/tobacco