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In 2000, the average age of

adult female smoked cocaine

admissions was 35

Half of the adult female

admissions for smoked cocaine

in 2000 had been using it for

more than 10 years

While the late 1980s were the

peak period for first use of

smoked cocaine by adult

female admissions, adultfemales continued to initiate use

of smoked cocaine throughout

the 1990s

In Brief

March 2001

The tDASISD A Srug and lcohol ervices nformation ystemI S

ReporSeptember 26, 2003

The DASIS Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

(SAMHSA). All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA.

Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available on-line: http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov.

Citation of the source is appreciated.

Women in Treatment for

Smoked Cocaine: 2000

In the mid-1980s, an easily smokeable

cocaine compound known as crack

was introduced. This form of smoked

cocaine is a potent substance of abuse

characterized by ready availability, a

non-invasive route of administration, and

quickly effective absorption.1 Data from

the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS)

indicate that in 2000, more than a de-

cade after the introduction of crack co-

caine, smoked cocaine was the primary

substance of abuse for 14 percent of all

adult women admitted to substance

abuse treatment.2 Smoking was the route

of administration for 77 percent of alladult women entering treatment for

primary use of cocaine.

TEDS is an annual compilation of

data on the demographic characteristics

and substance abuse problems of those

admitted for substance abuse treatment.

The information comes primarily from

facilities that receive some public fund-ing. TEDS records represent admissions

rather than individuals, as a person may

be admitted to treatment more than

once.

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DASIS REPORT: WOMEN IN TREATMENT FOR SMOKED COCAINE: 2000 September 26, 2003

Source: 2000 SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Figure 1. All Adult Female Smoked Cocaine

Admissions and First-Time Adult Female Smoked

Cocaine Admissions: 1992-2000

Figure 2. Adult Female Smoked Cocaine

Admissions, by Age Group: 1992-2000

Trends in SmokedCocaineAdmissions

The number of adult women

(aged 18 or older) admitted to

substance abuse treatment for

primary use of smoked cocaine

peaked in 1994 (Figure 1).

Between 1994 and 2000, both

the total number of such admis-sions and the number of first-

time admissions declined.

Demographics

In 2000, the average adult

woman entering treatment for

primary use of smoked cocaine

was 35 years old. The average

length of smoked cocaine usewas 12 years prior to admission.

Adult women entering treat-

ment for smoked cocaine abuse

were disproportionately Black

(58 percent, compared with 25

percent of all women entering

treatment). About one-third (32

percent) of adult women enter-

ing treatment for smokedcocaine abuse were White, and

5 percent were Hispanic.

The proportion of women

35 years or older entering

treatment for primary use of

smoked cocaine more than

doubled over time, from 20

percent in 1992 to 52 percent

in 2000 (Figure 2).

Duration of Use andPrior Treatments

The proportion of adult female

admissions engaged in long-

term smoked cocaine abuse has

increased over time (Figure 3).

In 1992, 50 percent of adult

female smoked cocaine admis-

sions had been abusing smokedcocaine for more than 5 years

at the time they entered treat-

ment. By 2000, however, that

proportion had increased to 75

percent. Similarly, in 1992, 20

percent of adult female smoked

cocaine admissions had been

abusing smoked cocaine for

more than 10 years, while by2000, this figure had increased

to 51 percent.

Almost two-thirds (64

percent) of adult women admit-

ted to treatment for smoked

cocaine in 2000 had been in

treatment previously. The

proportion of adult female

smoked cocaine admissions with

five or more prior treatmentsgrew from 6 percent in 1992 to

11 percent in 2000.

SecondarySubstances

The majority (81 percent) of

adult women entering treat-

ment for primary smoked

cocaine in 2000 reported abuseof other substances as well.

Almost half reported abuse of

alcohol in addition to smoked

cocaine, and 29 percent re-

ported marijuana abuse. Abuse

of smoked cocaine, alcohol, and

marijuana was reported by one

in 5 adult women admitted to

0

25

50

75

100

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

All Adult Female Smoked Cocaine Admissions

First-Time Adult Female Smoked Cocaine Admissions

NumberofAdmissions(000s)

19 16 15 12 10 9 9 9 8

6161

5957

5552

47 4440

18 2124 28 31 35

38 4044

2 2 2 3 4 4 6 7 8

0

20

40

60

80

100

1992 199319941995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

PercentofAdmissions

45 Years or

Older

35-44 Years

25-34 Years

18-24 Years

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September 26, 2003 DASIS REPORT: WOMEN IN TREATMENT FOR SMOKED COCAINE: 2000

The Drug and Alcohol Services Information System (DASIS) is an integrated data system maintained by the Office of Applied Studies,Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). One component of DASIS is the Treatment Episode Data Set(TEDS). TEDS is a compilation of data on the demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those admitted forsubstance abuse treatment. The information comes primarily from facilities that receive some public funding. Information on treatmentadmissions is routinely collected by State administrative systems and then submitted to SAMHSA in a standard format. Approximately

1.6 million records are included in TEDS each year. TEDS records represent admissions rather than individuals, as a person may beadmitted to treatment more than once.

The DASIS Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies, SAMHSA; Synectics for Management Decisions, Inc., Arlington,Virginia; and RTI, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

Information and data for this issue are based on data reported to TEDS through April 1, 2002.

Access the latest TEDS reports at: http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/dasis.htmAccess the latest TEDS public use files at: http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/SAMHDA.htm

Other substance abuse reports are available at: http://www.DrugAbuseStatistics.samhsa.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationOffice of Applied Studies

www.samhsa.gov

Figure 3. Adult Female Smoked Cocaine

Admissions, by Duration of Use: 1992-2000

Figure 4. Adult Female Smoked Cocaine

Admissions, by Year of First Use as Reported in

1992 and 2000: 1978-2000

treatment for primary smokedcocaine. Some 24 percent

reported problems with other

secondary substances or sub-

stance combinations.

Initiation

TEDS data permit calculation

of the year of initiation (i.e., the

year smoked cocaine was firstused) for women entering

treatment for smoked cocaine.

Crack cocaine was intro-

duced in the mid-1980s; among

adult women who entered

20 18 17 16 15 14 14 13 12

3028

2320 18 16 15 14 13

3032

3536

3533

3026

24

12 13 1517

2023

2526

27

8 9 10 11 12 14 16 2124

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

More than15 Years

11-15 Years

6-10 Years

3-5 Years

2 Years or

LessPercentofAdmissions

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

Year of First Use

NumberofAdmission

s1992

2000

Approximate Introductionof Crack Cocaine (1985)

treatment for smoked cocainein 1992, the numbers beginning

smoked cocaine use after 1985

rose rapidly (Figure 4). Data for

women admitted to treatment

for smoked cocaine in 2000

indicate that, despite thedecline since 1994 in the total

number of women admitted to

treatment for smoked cocaine,

new users continued to be

initiated through the 1990s.

End Notes

1Crack is the street name given to cocaine that

has been processed to form a non-volatile form

of cocaine that can be smoked. Smoking allows

extremely high doses of cocaine to reach thebrain very quickly and brings an intense and

immediate high. See National Institute on Drug

Abuse, InfoFacts - Crack and Cocaine. Retrieved

August 28, 2003, from http://www.nida.nih.gov/

Infofax/cocaine.html

2TEDS does not distinguish among users of

different types of smoked cocaine. This short

report is an update to Substance Abuse and

Mental Health Services Administration (2001,July 13). The DASIS Report. Women in Treatment

for Smoked Cocaine. Rockville, MD: Author.