Which statement best reflects the relative prevalence of legal versus illegal drug use according to surveys?

Which statement best reflects the relative prevalence of legal versus illegal drug use according to surveys?

• A. Legal drug use is higher than illegal
• B. Illegal drug use is higher than legal
• C. Legal and illegal drug use are roughly the same
• D. Researchers cannot estimate the size of legal or illegal drug use

Answer: (A)

Legal drug use tends to be much more common in survey data because these substances are legal, widely available, and culturally accepted. People routinely report using substances like alcohol and tobacco in various time frames (lifetime, past year, or past month), while use of illegal drugs is restricted, stigmatized, and often underreported. Even with underreporting considered, the overall pattern shown by surveys is a higher prevalence of legal drug use than illegal drug use. The other options don’t fit because illegal drug use is not more prevalent, and while measurements have limitations, researchers can and do estimate illegal use.

Legal drug use tends to be much more common in survey data because these substances are legal, widely available, and culturally accepted. People routinely report using substances like alcohol and tobacco in various time frames (lifetime, past year, or past month), while use of illegal drugs is restricted, stigmatized, and often underreported. Even with underreporting considered, the overall pattern shown by surveys is a higher prevalence of legal drug use than illegal drug use. The other options don’t fit because illegal drug use is not more prevalent, and while measurements have limitations, researchers can and do estimate illegal use.