| |
 Despite
continued progress in reducing alcohol abuse and the use of
tobacco and illegal drugs, substance abuse continues to take
a substantial toll on human life and financial resources. Substance
abuse remains the nation's top public health problem, accounting
for approximately one in four (500,000) deaths annually in the
United States. The economic burden, underscored by the costs
of illness and crime, is equally staggering—about $414
billion a year.
In 1991, the Foundation formally adopted as a goal reducing
the harm caused by substance abuse. Since then, our programs
have included supporting innovative institutions, building
public interest and support for policy change, creating and
communicating new information about substance abuse, and integrating
the most effective prevention and treatment strategies into
the nation’s legal and health care systems. The progress
of the past decade reflects those efforts. Overall, rates
of illicit drug and alcohol use are down from peak levels
in the late 1970s and early 1980s, respectively, and tobacco
use has declined since the mid-1960s. The most recent data
released by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the University
of Michigan show that smoking among high school seniors is
at its lowest level in 27 years. Public awareness of the dangers
of substance abuse is up, and prevention and treatment strategies
are increasingly effective.
Yet illicit drugs are still widely available, tobacco and
alcohol continue to be easily accessible to underage youth,
and more young people are experimenting with and using some
substances. Finally, while effective prevention and treatment
programs do exist, they are underused and not broadly available.
Page 1
| 2
| 3
| 4
| 5
| 6
| 7
| 8
| 9
| 10
| 11
| 12
| 13
| 14
| 15
| 16
| 17
| >>
© Copyright 2003 The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation. Click to read
our Web Policies
|
|
