Illicit and nonmedical drug use among Asian Americans, Native HawaiiansPacific Islanders, and mixed-race individuals.
The racialethnic composition of the United States is shifting rapidly, with non-Hispanic Asian-Americans, Native HawaiiansPacific Islanders (NHsPIs), and mixed-race individuals the fastest growing segments of the population. We determined new drug use estimates for these rising groups. Prevalences among Whites were included as a comparison. Data were from the 2005-2011 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Substance use among respondents aged ≥ 12 years was assessed by computer-assisted self-interviewing methods. Respondents self-reported raceethnicity, age, gender, household income, government assistance, county type, residential stability, major depressive episode, history of being arrested, tobacco use, and alcohol use were examined as correlates. We stratified the analysis by raceethnicity and used logistic regression to estimate odds of drug use. Prevalence of past-year marijuana use among Whites increased from 10.7% in 2005 to 11.6-11.8% in 2009-2011 (P<0.05). There were no significant yearly changes in drug use prevalences among Asian-Americans, NHsPIs, and mixed-race people but use of any drug, especially marijuana, was prevalent among NHsPIs and mixed-race people (21.2% and 23.3%, respectively, in 2011). Compared with Asian-Americans, NHsPIs had higher odds of marijuana use, and mixed-race individuals had higher odds of using marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, stimulants, sedatives, and tranquilizers. Compared with Whites, mixed-race individuals had greater odds of any drug use, mainly marijuana, and NHsPIs resembled Whites in odds of any drug use. Findings reveal alarmingly prevalent drug use among NHsPIs and mixed-race people. Research on drug use is needed in these rising populations to inform prevention and treatment efforts.