Methamphetamine Use Among U.S. Adults, 2015–2018: Who Uses, How Often, and Why It Matters

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant of the central nervous system, linked to psychosis and other mental disorders, heart and kidney problems, infectious disease transmission and overdose. Overall use has held fairly steady, but meth's availability — and its role in overdose deaths and treatment admissions — has been rising. CDC analyzed the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) for 2015–2018, covering 171,766 adults.

How many use it

• Men 8.7, women 4.7 per 1,000.
• Highest among ages 26–34 (11.0), 18–25 (9.3) and 35–49 (8.3).
• By state (2017–2018), from 2.76 in New York to 13.98 in Nevada — generally higher in the West than the East.

How heavily

Among past-year users:

• 52.9% met the criteria for a methamphetamine use disorder — but only 31.5% of them got any substance use treatment that year.
• 22.3% injected it.

Frequency of past-year methamphetamine use and injection. Image from CDC's report

Rarely just meth

Who is more likely to use it

After accounting for other factors, odds were higher among men; adults aged 26 and older (compared with 18–25); those without a college degree; household incomes under $50,000; people with Medicaid only or no insurance; residents of small metro and nonmetro counties; and people with other substance use or mental illness. Black adults had lower odds than white adults.

What would help

• Prioritize men, middle-aged adults and rural residents. Rural areas already struggle with limited resources and treatment, and meth injection risks infectious disease outbreaks there — so expand evidence-based treatment, syringe services programs and community efforts to reduce use.
• Prevention that starts young: programs such as PROSPER (school–community–university partnerships) have had lasting effects on youth meth use and opioid misuse.
• Treatment: psychosocial therapies such as community reinforcement or cognitive behavioral therapy, combined with contingency management (rewards for positive behavior), look promising; recovery supports and social services matter too.
• Mental health providers should be part of care, coordinated with addiction and other providers — co-occurring disorders are a known gap.
• Stronger state and local capacity, better linkage to care, and closer public health–public safety collaboration.

Limits: answers are self-reported; the survey can't show cause and effect; it excludes homeless people outside shelters, active-duty military and people in institutions such as prisons; and meeting diagnostic criteria isn't the same as a clinical diagnosis.

Sources

Based on Christopher M. Jones, Wilson M. Compton and Desiree Mustaquim, "Patterns and Characteristics of Methamphetamine Use Among Adults — United States, 2015–2018," MMWR, volume 69, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.