Demographic and Geographic Variations in Injection Drug Use

Research indicates that the use of injectable drugs, like the use of other illicit drugs, varies by demographic group and geographic area. Methamphetamine use from 2002 to 2004, for example, was more prevalent in the West than in other regions of the country. Analysis of 2003 treatment admissions involving clients who injected their drugs of abuse showed that their profiles by race/ethnicity, gender, and region varied depending on the types of drugs they injected. These findings suggest that there are differences in the rates of injection drug use depending on demographic and geographic characteristics.