DrugAbuse.com just released these two charts examining the trends of drug use between men and women. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use, the website found that men use way more drugs than their female counterparts. Way, way more.
In 2014, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) asked about 70,000 people aged 12 or older whether they had ever taken an illicit drug. Their answers, which were extrapolated to represent the entire U.S. population, revealed that just over half of men (54.1%) had, compared with just less than half of women (44.5%).
The gap between the sexes widens when we focus on specific substances, though. Of the 12 drugs covered above, tranquilizers (which include depressants such as sleeping pills) show the most similar lifetime usage rate at 10.1% for men and 8.7% for women. Marijuana comes next – 49.5% for men and 39.2% for women – and then pain relievers and sedatives. So the non-medical psychotherapeutic drugs (which are mind-altering prescription medications used in ways not intended by doctors) have the smallest gaps – the biggest differences are seen in the “harder” street drugs. When it comes to gender differences, 1.7 times more men than women said they had used cocaine at least once before, and for crack cocaine, twice as many men said they’d tried it. Heroin, although it has one of the lowest overall lifetime usage rates, showed the biggest relative difference: For every 10 women who had tried it, 27 men had too.
Maybe women force us to do drugs? Just kidding, ladies. You’re all perfect and wonderful.
Here’s the first chart comparing lifetime use of drugs between the sexes.
Yeesh. Now, here’s the average age when each gender tries a drug.
Jesus, girls, let’s calm down with the inhalants at such a young age.
[via DrugAbuse.com]