The Use of Psychoactive Drugs by Adults

Abstract

A survey of psychoactive drug use was conducted among 1,200 adults in Metropolitan Toronto. The sample chosen compared well in age and sex characteristics to the census figures for this area. The overall rate of prescription for psychoactive drugs, the use of tranquillizers, barbiturates and stimulants and various social, demographic, health, and psychological characteristics were investigated. Data indicated that 23.8 percent of the sample had at least one prescription for psychoactive drugs in the last year. Most with prescriptions were females. Young persons (18-19) had fewer prescriptions than those over 60. The estimated prescription rate for the area was 76 per one hundred adults, which was slightly lower than that found in other American and Canadian studies. Tranquillizers were the most commonly used of the psychoactive drugs (12.7 percent) followed by barbiturates (8.6 percent). Only a small proportion of the sample (3.6 percent) used stimulants. Tranquillizer use involved primarily females from varying backgrounds. Barbiturate users tended to be older and have unhappy marital histories. Stimulant users were young males and females. Except for stimulant users almost all users of these drugs obtained them by prescription. Barbiturate and tranquillizer users tended to have poorer health than non-users but stimulant users did not. Users of each drug had received treatment for psychological problems more often than non-users, but no significant differences between users and non-users were found on the EPI. For a large proportion of the using population the use of these drugs seemed to be related to some medical or psychological problems, but this was not the case for an almost equally large number. Research is needed to discover the reasons for psychoactive drug use among this apparently healthy segment of the population.