"Among people aged 12 or older in 2022, 70.3 million people used illicit drugs in the past year (Figure 13). The most commonly used illicit drug in the past year was marijuana, which was used by 61.9 million people. In the past year, 8.5 million people used hallucinogens, and 8.5 million people misused prescription pain relievers. Smaller numbers of people were past year users or misusers of the other illicit drugs shown in Figure 13.28

"Any Illicit Drug Use

"Among people aged 12 or older in 2022, 24.9 percent (or 70.3 million people) used illicit drugs in the past year (Figures 13 and 14 and Table A.5B). The percentage was highest among young adults aged 18 to 25 (40.9 percent or 14.2 million people), followed by adults aged 26 or older (23.7 percent or 52.4 million people), then by adolescents aged 12 to 17 (14.3 percent or 3.7 million people).

"By Race/Ethnicity

"The percentage of people aged 12 or older in 2022 who used illicit drugs in the past year was higher among Multiracial people (35.1 percent) than among Black (26.7 percent), White (25.8 percent), Hispanic (23.5 percent), or Asian people (13.6 percent) (Figure 15 and Table B.7B). Asian people were less likely to have used illicit drugs in the past year compared with people in other racial or ethnic groups including American Indian or Alaska Native people (31.7 percent). Black or White people were more likely to have used illicit drugs in the past year compared with Hispanic people. Estimates for illicit drug use in the past year did not differ among Black or White people. The estimate of illicit drug use in the past year could not be calculated with sufficient precision for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander people.13"

Source

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2023). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP23-07-01-006, NSDUH Series H-58). Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.