ARIZONA ADAM

Phoenix newsletter summer 2000

Phoenix		1999 Adult Findings

			Age of Booked Arrestees (%)					Race of Booked Arrestees (%)
	Sample Size		15-20	21-25	26-30	31-35	36 +	Black	White	Hispanic	Other

Males	1166		15.3	20.1	18.8	15.5	30.2	13.8	50.2	26.8	9.0

Females	398		13.8	22.2	19.9	17.6	26.5	16.4	48.6	25.5	9.0

Percent Positive for Drugs by Age and Race

		15-20	21-25	26-30	31-35	36+	Black	White	Hispanic	Other
Any Drug
	Males	75.3	67.0	63.0	64.6	57.8	76.3	63.9	66.9	41.9

	Females	61.1	64.4	69.2	73.9	62.5	80.0	63.4	69.3	52.8
Cocaine
	Males	28.1	23.2	32.4	37.6	35.1	51.3	22.1	43.6	17.1

	Females	29.6	37.9	41.0	58.0	43.3	63.1	35.6	52.5	22.2
Marijuana
	Males	62.0	46.4	36.1	26.5	21.5	40.0	37.1	35.0	30.5

	Females	29.6	34.5	23.1	23.2	20.2	33.8	20.6	28.7	27.8
Methamph.
	Males	9.0	17.2	19.2	26.5	13.3	2.5	27.1	8.9	1.9

	Females	5.6	13.8	17.9	14.5	17.3	0.0	23.7	8.9	5.6

Percent Positive for Drugs by Offense Category

		Any Drug	Cocaine	Marijuana	Methamph.	PCP
Violent	Males	59.6	27.2	33.8	14.3	2.1

	Females	40.0	20.0	20.0	8.6	0.0
Property	Males	69.1	39.4	33.1	16.7	1.4

	Females	66.9	44.1	26.3	14.4	0.8
Drug	Males	86.1	44.0	47.0	30.7	1.2

	Females	87.9	55.2	32.8	34.5	0.0
Other	Males	63.5	28.6	38.6	16.9	1.7

	Females	64.4	36.2	25.4	17.5	4.5

All adult arrestees sampled in Maricopa County/Phoenix, AZ during 1999 are included in these findings. Approximately 1,170 males and 400 females provided urine samples for drug testing. As the graph to the left demonstrates, overall test results revealed slightly more males used marijuana than cocaine. Conversely, females were far more likely to use cocaine than marijuana. Females of all races (with the exception of Other Race) tested positive for cocaine at higher rates than males: 63% of black, 36% of white, and 53% of Hispanic females. Patterns tend to vary across race and age. For example black, white, and Hispanic male arrestees tested positive for marijuana at higher levels than females. Also, rates of positive tests for any drug drop 17% for males between the ages 15 - 20 and 36+. However, rates for females increase by 13% between ages 15 - 20 and 31 - 35. These rates appear to be drug specific -- while female cocaine usage increased across age ranges and then declines in the 36+ age range, marijuana use begins declining in the 26 - 30 age range. Both white males and females tested higher for methamphetamine than any other race, with male methamphetamine use second only to marijuana. Examination of specific offenses revealed that males charged with violent crimes were more likely to test positive for all drugs tested than females charged with violent crimes. The rates appear closer for property and drug offenses, with females charged with property offenses testing positive at higher rates for cocaine. Finally, females charged with drug crimes tested positive at higher rates than males for all drugs except marijuana.