SAMHSA Releases Latest TEDS Report on Substance Abuse Admissions

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Date: 10/9/2009
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SAMHSA Releases Latest TEDS Report on Substance Abuse Admissions

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is issuing its latest Treatment Episode Data set (TEDS) report.  According to the report, the criminal justice system was the largest single source of referrals to substance abuse treatment, accounting for 37% of all admissions (approximately 671,000 of the 1.8 million admissions).

Using TEDS, this report examines substance abuse treatment admissions referred by the criminal justice system and compares their characteristics with admissions referred by other sources. Understanding the impact of these admissions on the treatment system is critical for program planners and policy makers at all levels of government. 

 

Notably, the report found that criminal justice system referral admissions were less likely than all other referral admissions to drop out of treatment (22 vs.27 percent).  In addition, the most rapid area of growth within criminal justice system referrals has been among those younger than 18 years of age, increasing from 38 percent of adolescent admissions in 1992 to 47 percent in 2007.

 

Five primary substances of abuse accounted for 96 percent of all substance abuse treatments admissions in 2007: alcohol, opiates (including heroin and prescription painkillers), marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine.  Criminal justice system referrals were more likely than all other referral admissions to report primary alcohol abuse, marijuana abuse, methamphetamine abuse, and less likely to report primary opiate abuse.  The high rate of criminal justice system referral admissions younger than 18, may have contributed significantly to the high rate of admissions with marijuana as a primary substance of abuse.

 

Additional findings:

Criminal justice referral admissions age 25 and over were more likely than all other admissions to be employed either full or part time (42 vs. 22 percent).  Male admissions referred by the criminal justice system outnumbered female admissions at a ratio of 3 to 1.

 

The racial/ethnic composition of referrals from the criminal justice system as compared to other referral sources was similar:  non-Hispanic White (60 percent); non-Hispanic Black (19 percent) and Hispanic (15 percent).  TEDS includes admissions to facilities that are licensed or certified by the State substance abuse agency to provide substance abuse treatment.

 

The complete 2009 TEDS Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions Referred by the Criminal Justice System report is available online at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/211/211CJadmits2k9.cfm, or by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) and asking for publication number  TEDS09-0813.

SAMHSA Releases Latest TEDS Report on Substance Abuse Admissions