Almost Third of US Families Hit by Drug Abuse, Up From 22% in 2005 - Survey

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Drug abuse has caused problems in nearly one-third of families in the United States, a significant increase from 2005 when the last survey was made, according to a press release by the Gallup organization on Thursday.

"Between 1999 and 2000, the percentage of Americans saying drug abuse was the cause of family problems increased five percentage points to 22 percent, and it remained at that level through 2005," the release stated.

Although Gallup did not survey the impact of drug abuse between 2008, the latest survey showing an impact on 30 percent of US families marks a historic high, the survey revealed.

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The survey attempted to test four issues: smoking, drinking, obesity and drug abuse, the release explained.

Although drinking is still considered morally acceptable to most Americans, problems experienced by 37 percent of US families also matched a historical high, the release said.

Forty-three percent of families reported experiencing health problems from smoking and 24 percent said the same about obesity, according to the release.