SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that in 2003, an estimated 3.5% of veterans used marijuana in the past month compared with 3.0% of their nonveteran counterparts. Past month heavy use of alcohol was more prevalent among veterans (7.5%) than comparable nonveterans (6.5%). Estimated rates of dependence on alcohol and/or illicit drugs did not differ significantly between veterans and nonveterans.

Based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2004, persons aged 12 or older who lived in metropolitan areas were more likely to abuse or be dependent on alcohol or an illicit drug during the past year than those living in non-metropolitan areas. Males living in metropolitan areas were more likely to abuse or be dependent on alcohol or an illicit drug than males living in non-metropolitan areas.

Data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were used to compare substance use, dependence and treatment among veterans and non veterans. In 2003, an estimated 56.6% of veterans used alcohol in the past month compared with 50.8% of comparable nonveterans. An estimated 13.2% of veterans reported driving while under the influence of alcohol or illicit drugs in the past year compared with 12.2% of comparable nonveterans.

Based on annual averages from SAMHSA's National Surveys on Drug Use and Health in 2002, 2003, and 2004, an estimated 1.2 million adults aged 18 or older (0.6%) were arrested for any serious violent or property offense in the past year. Serious violent or property offenses were defined as Part I violent and property offenses in the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. Adults who had been arrested for serious violent or property offenses in the past year were more likely than those not arrested for serious offenses to have used marijuana (46.5% vs. 10.0%) and cocaine, crack cocaine, hallucinogens, methamphetamines, heroin and prescription drugs nonmedically.

An estimated 142,701 alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits reported to SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) system were made by patients aged 12 to 20. Nearly half (42%) of drug-related ED visits among patients aged 12 to 20 involved alcohol. Patients aged 18 to 20 were approximately 3 times as likely as patients aged 12 to 17 to have an alcohol-related ED visit. ED visits involving alcohol with other drugs were almost 2 times as likely as visits involving only alcohol to result in admission to the hospital for inpatient care (19% vs. 10%).

Full-time college students were less likely than nonstudents to be past year users of cocaine (6.3% vs. 8.2%), crack cocaine (0.4% vs. 1.4%), pain relievers used nonmedically (11.6% vs. 13.9%), and methamphetamine (0.8% vs. 2.6%).