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"A valuable resource for anyone concerned with drug policy."
"Drug War Facts offers a treasure trove for serious seekers of useful facts and sources about all sides of the drug war."
"A compendium of facts that fly in the face of |
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Drug War Facts provides reliable information with applicable citations on important public health and criminal justice issues. It is updated continuously by its Editor, Douglas A. McVay. Most charts, facts and figures are from government sources, government-sponsored sources, peer reviewed journals and occasionally newspapers. In all cases the source is cited so that journalists, scholars and students can verify, check context and obtain additional information. Our mission is to offer useful facts, cited from authoritative sources, to a debate that is often characterized by myths, error, emotion and dissembling. We believe that in time an informed society will correct its errors and generate wiser policies. Drug War Facts is sponsored by Common Sense for Drug Policy. Its directors are Kevin B. Zeese, President; Mike Gray, Chair; Robert E. Field, Co-Chair and Executive Director; and Melvin R. Allen. To the extent of its copyrights, Common Sense for Drug Policy authorizes and encourages the use and republication of some or all portions of this book. Questions, comments or suggestions for additions and modifications are most welcome and may be addressed to Doug McVay at dmcvay@drugwarfacts.org.
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Did You Know?
| "Slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older reported being current drinkers of alcohol in the 2005 survey (51.8 percent). This translates to an estimated 126 million people, which is higher than the 2004 estimate of 121 million people (50.3 percent).
"More than one fifth (22.7 percent) of persons aged 12 or older participated in binge drinking at least once in the 30 days prior to the survey in 2005. This translates to about 55 million people, comparable with the estimates reported since 2002.
"In 2005, heavy drinking was reported by 6.6 percent of the population aged 12 or older, or 16 million people. This percentage is similar to the rates of heavy drinking in 2002 (6.7 percent), 2003 (6.8 percent), and 2004 (6.9 percent)."
These categories are defined thus:
"Current (past month) use - At least one drink in the past 30 days (includes binge and heavy use).
"Binge use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past 30 days (includes heavy use).
"Heavy use - Five or more drinks on the same occasion on each of 5 or more days in the past 30 days." Source:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services, Results from the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (Rockville, MD: Office of Applied Studies, Sept. 2006), p. 27. |