Americans Are Doing a Hell of a Lot of Drugs, But Cocaine Use is Way Down

Sorry Tony, but your habit is so 2006.

​Americans seem to be getting high as hell, with more Americans saying they've used drugs in the past year than any other year since the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration began taking a survey in 2002. About nine percent said they've used drugs in the past year. Marijuana use is slightly up, while use of ecstasy and meth is way, way up. Unfortunately, for all those wannabe Scarfaces out there, the prevalence of cocaine is at an all time low.

21.8 million Americans, or about 8.7 percent of the 12-and-up population, did drugs last year. That's an all time high. Not surprisingly, America's favorite drug (well, besides alcohol) continues to be that sticky icky icky weed. Pot use rose by eight percent.

America's fastest growing drug appears to be meth. There was a 60 percent increase of use in that drug, which is just disgusting, because meth is by far the most disgusting drug. Meth use was down after a 2006 law limited the sale of cold medicines that contain an ingredient used to cook up meth. Though, meth users have gotten around the law by traveling to different pharmacies, and the drug is increasingly being smuggled through the border. Ew.

Ecstasy use is also on the rise. It's up by 37 percent in fact. "In the early 2000s, there was a widespread public safety campaign to warn young people about the dangers of ecstasy as a party drug, but that effort declined as use dropped off," reports the AP.

So, apparently there hasn't been enough anti-X PSAs? We have an idea. Just go to next year's Ultra and take pictures of those chubby Kendall girls rolling around on the dirty ground in neon bikinis and fishnets and other ridiculous people and slap some drug control propaganda on it. Something like this:

Original photo by Ian Whitlen

​Though, in news that should worry the majority of Miami's businessmen no one, cocaine use is way, way down. Use of the drug is down by 32 percent since its peak in 2006. The AP doesn't offer analysis, but lets be real: Cocaine is expensive, and the economy has steadily declined since 2006. Who can afford it anymore?

[AP: Report: Illegal drug use up sharply last year via Gawker]