Survey Finds Physicians, Med Students Abuse Drugs

A survey published today in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that nearly one out of 10 physicians and one out of six medical students regularly abuse drugs and that the number is likely to increase.

The research team, led by William McAuliffe of Harvard University’s department of behavioral sciences, said the levels reflect trends in drug abuse in the United States.

The anonymous poll, conducted in November, 1984, by a team from the Harvard School of Public Health of medical doctors and students in Massachusetts, found that 33% of doctors and 44% of students had illegally used drugs.

Nearly 10% of the doctors and just over 16% of the students used drugs at least once a month, and 5% of the students and 3% of the doctors admitted to being addicted to a drug at some time in their lives.

In general, the recreational drugs of choice among the sample were marijuana and cocaine.

Eight per cent of the doctors and 34% of the medical students said they regularly or occasionally smoked marijuana, while 3% of the doctors and 20% of the students reported regular or occasional cocaine use.

When it came to treating themselves, tranquilizers and opiate drugs were the most commonly used drugs among both groups.

The researchers concluded that drug abuse among doctors was likely to rise steadily because younger physicians tend to use the drugs more often than their predecessors.