Perhaps the best way to show that drugs do not discriminate is graphically. Below we see that each ethnic group has a percentage of people with drug and alcohol problems. Native Americans/Native Alaskans have the highest percentage and Asians the lowest.

This next group of five charts shows the primary drug problem is different in each ethnic group. While many people with drug or alcohol problems will take pretty much anything they can find to get high, most have a primary drug of choice.

Alcohol is the biggest problem among the White/Caucasian population, followed by opiates such as heroin and prescription pain killers and then marijuana.

Cocaine is the biggest problem among the Black/African American population, followed by alcohol and drugs together and then marijuana.

Opiates such as heroin and prescription pain killers are the biggest problem among the Hispanic/Latino population, followed by alcohol and then marijuana.

Methamphamine and other amphetamines are the biggest problem among the Asian/Pacific Islander population, followed by marijuana and then alcohol.

Alcohol is the biggest problem among the Native American population, followed by alcohol and drugs and then marijuana.

[Sources: SAMSA, National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health 2006; Treatment Episode Data Set 2006]