This brief assesses whether and how rates of substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) among adults (ages 18 and older) differ by race and ethnicity. The authors combine five years of data, 2015-2019, from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to create sample sizes large enough to examine specific racial and ethnic groups for specific categories of drug use. Understanding substance use and SUD by race and ethnicity is critical to informing equitable policy and culturally effective prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts that can help address disparities in health and well-being.
