|
Home
| News | Our
Mission | Contact
Major improvements in treatment for adolescent marijuana use were announced today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at a news conference convened to kick off the 11th annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. This year's observance is designed to spotlight the need for treatment of adolescent substance abusers. SAMHSA also released a new report today on substance abuse treatment admissions in the U.S. The report, Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS): 1993-1998, revealed that adolescent (age 12 to 17) treatment admissions for marijuana increased by 155 percent (30,832 to 78,523) from 1993 to 1998, with 49 percent of all those admitted for marijuana treatment falling below age 20. The number of adolescent admissions for treatment of dependence on any drug increased 45 percent (95,378 to 138,038) from 1993 to 1998. The TEDS report provides information on the demographic and substance abuse characteristics of the more than 1.5 million admissions to treatment facilities that receive State alcohol and drug agency funds. "The dramatic increase in adolescent admissions for treatment of marijuana use shows that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug," SAMHSA Administrator Nelba Chavez, Ph.D., said. "Fortunately, as we saw an increase in adolescent marijuana use early in the 1990s, we had the foresight four years ago to begin developing appropriate and effective treatment models for marijuana dependence." This excerpt was taken from the following website http://www.health.org/newsroom/releases/2000/sept00/4.htm
| 
