Drug Use Rising Among Seniors; Baby Boomers Continue Using, SAMHSA Says

A new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds that 4.7 percent of Americans age 50 and older used illicit drugs during the past year, a figure that’s on the rise and reflective of lifelong drug use by aging Baby Boomers, experts said.

SAMHSA said the report, Illicit Drug Use Among Older Adults, presages a possible doubling in need for treatment services among older Americans in the next decade. “This new data has profound implications for the health and well-being of older adults who continue to abuse substances,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “These findings highlight the need for prevention programs for all ages as well as to establish improved screening and appropriate referral to treatment as part of routine health care services.”

The report found that 8.5 percent of men ages 50-54 used marijuana during the past month, compared to 3.9 percent of women in the same age group. Marijuana use among older Americans was more prevalent than nonmedical use of prescription drugs, SAMHSA noted.