DrugFacts

Los miembros de las fuerzas armadas no son inmunes a los problemas de consu­mo de drogas y otras sustancias que afectan al resto de la sociedad. Aunque el consumo de drogas ilícitas es menor en­tre el personal militar de los Estados Unidos en comparación con la población civil, el consumo arraigado de alcohol y de tabaco, y sobre todo el abuso de medicamentos de prescripción, son mu­cho más frecuentes y van en aumento.

Members of the armed forces are not immune to the substance use problems that affect the rest of society. Although illicit drug use is lower among U.S. military personnel than among civilians, heavy alcohol and tobacco use, and especially prescription drug abuse, are much more prevalent and are on the rise.

El término "sales de baño" se refiere a una clase nueva de drogas que contienen una o más sustancias químicas sintéticas relacionadas con la catinona, un estimulante parecido a la anfetamina que se encuentra normalmente en la planta del khat.

El uso de la marihuana para tratar varios problemas médicos, es decir, el uso de la “marihuana medicinal”, es un tema controvertido y lo ha sido durante algún tiempo. Algunas personas han argumentado que los efectos benéficos de la marihuana que se han reportado para una variedad de síntomas justifican su legalización como medicamento para ciertos pacientes.

The use of marijuana to treat various medical conditions—or “medical marijuana”—is a controversial topic and has been for some time. Some people have argued that marijuana’s reported beneficial effects on a variety of symptoms justify its legalization as a medicine for certain patients. Often the potential harm of marijuana use is not considered in these arguments, although risk is part of what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assesses when deciding whether to approve a medicine.

Nearly 75 percent of all adult illicit drug users are employed, as are most binge and heavy alcohol users.¹ Studies show that when compared with non–substance abusers, substance-abusing employees are more likely to

• change jobs frequently
• be late to or absent from work
• be less productive employees
• be involved in a workplace accident
• file a workers’ compensation claim.

Employers who have implemented drug-free workplace programs have important experiences to share.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) National Survey on Drug Use and Health,¹ 23.5 million persons aged 12 or older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem in 2009 (9.3 percent of persons aged 12 or older). Of these, only 2.6 million—11.2 percent of those who needed treatment—received it at a specialty facility.