Most teenagers don’t use drugs. A government investigation 50 years ago shows that it may be at risk now.
The entire US government team of 17 members responsible for the national survey of drug use and health Layoff notifications Tuesday as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overhaul.
It is not clear whether there is an alternative plan to analyse the data that local and state governments use to develop preventive measures and treatment services. The federal government distributes money to fight grants Opioid addiction A crisis based on that. Researchers will use it to study trends in depression, alcoholism and tobacco use.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said the investigation mandated by Congress would continue “as an important contribution to progress in behavioral health in America.” He said that the reorganization of the division would “be better implemented as per the statutory intentions of the Congress.”
The most representative national survey is Independent research groups There are approximately 70,000 people each year. It provides a more complete image Trends in death due to overdoseLindsay Vuolo said he only captured a small segment of the partnership to end addiction.
“We use our findings on a daily basis in research, educational programming and resources, and communications materials,” Vuolo said of the research.
Before the layoffs, government teams were preparing to analyze 2024 data. This is once again the first year trends can be trusted since the pandemic destroyed data collection, said Jennifer Hornig, director of layoffs at the Census Bureau.
The data can be seated on the shelf without the experienced analyst solving it, she said.
“Everyone who’s been working on it has been let go,” Hornig said. The office is part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency, and will be absorbed by the new administration for a healthy America under the plan of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“My team and I care so much about this data, so if we don’t have it, we want people to understand what is being lost in our country,” Hoenig said.
In recent years, surveys have shown:
– In 2023, 7 out of 10 people did not use illegal drugs or drink alcohol.
– Men over 60 were more likely to have substance use disorders than women of the same age group, but women are more likely to have large episodes of depression in 2021 and 2022.
– Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth were almost twice as likely as straight young people who had substance use disorders in 2023.
– The number of people who reported using cannabis in the past year has almost doubled from 11% in 2002 to 21.9% in 2022.
“Data is important when trying to solve public health issues,” said Andrew Kessler of Slingshot Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in addiction and mental health issues. “This allows us to defend and establish policies that fill in the very big gaps in treatment, and therefore save lives in the process.”
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