Answer:
Males are more likely than females to abuse drugs. According to the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)-an annual Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey of more than 25,000 respondents-8.1 percent of males and 4.5 percent of females older than age 12 had used illicit drugs within the past month, and this ratio has remained fairly constant throughout the 29-year history of the survey. Research by Dr. James Anthony, a NIDA-supported scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore, shows that these gender differences in drug abuse are not related to gender differences in susceptibility. Instead, they have their foundation in the very first stage of drug involvement-the opportunity to use drugs. Once given the opportunity to use, males and females are equally likely to use drugs.
