Polysubstance Use Profiles Among the General Adult Population, United States, 2022.
American journal of public health May 1, 2025 Karilynn M Rockhill, Joshua C Black, Janetta Iwanicki et al. 17 citations
In a 2022 nationally representative US survey of 15,800 adults, 20.9% reported using two or more drugs in the past year. Four distinct patterns emerged: medically guided use (11.5% of adults, 6.1% with substance use disorder), principal cannabis use (4.0%, 31.9% with disorder), self-guided nonmedical use (3.4%, 14.5% with disorder), and indiscriminate coexposures (2.1%, 58.9% with disorder). The findings reveal two previously unrecognized classes and indicate that many adults with polysubstance use have untreated substance use disorders. Prevention and treatment should be personalized to each person's specific drug-use profile.