50 is the new stoned: Drug users admitted to treatment a graying population - The Denver Post

50 is the new stoned: Drug users admitted to treatment a graying population - The Denver Post

WASHINGTON — America's drug abusers are going gray.

The share of people admitted to treatment for drug abuse who are 50 or older nearly doubled between 1992 and 2008, a new government study says.

Alcohol is still the leading cause of admissions over 50, but sharp increases were noted for heroin, cocaine and marijuana, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports today.

"These findings show the changing scope of substance- abuse problems in America," agency administrator Pamela Hyde said in a statement.

While some people ages 50 and older were taking up drugs for the first time, the study found three-quarters of older Americans admitted for treatment had started using drugs before age 25.

The report detailed the share of people ages 50 and older treated for abusing various drugs:

• Heroin: more than doubled, from 7.2 percent to 16 percent.

• Cocaine: nearly quadrupled, from 2.9 percent to 11.4 percent.

• Prescription drugs: rose from 0.7 percent to 3.5 percent.

• Marijuana: increased from 0.6 percent to 2.9 percent.