每年全世界估计有近 3,600 万人使用苯丙胺,而且苯丙胺是第二大广泛滥用的药物类型,仅次于大麻。[11]United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. World Drug Report 2016. May 2016. http://www.unodc.org/ (last accessed 24 May 2017).http://www.unodc.org/wdr2016/
在过去十年里,北美和澳大利亚的苯丙胺使用率已趋于稳定。 不过,俄罗斯联邦、东欧、中国和东南亚的使用率在继续增长。 许多国家正在增长的使用率是由大量年龄小于30岁的新兴经济主体引起的, 其构成新的卖方市场,尤其是MDMA(摇头丸)相关制剂。[11]United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. World Drug Report 2016. May 2016. http://www.unodc.org/ (last accessed 24 May 2017).http://www.unodc.org/wdr2016/[12]United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. 2014 global synthetic drugs assessment: amphetamine-type stimulants and new psychoactive substances. May 2014. http://www.unodc.org/ (last accessed 24 May 2017).http://www.unodc.org/documents/scientific/2014_Global_Synthetic_Drugs_Assessment_web.pdf
2015 年,美国有近 90 万年满 12 周岁的人正在使用苯丙胺,这占了年满 12 周岁人口的 0.3%。 根据最近发表的调查结果,仅 2011 年就有 102,961 例与去氧麻黄碱相关的急诊病例,较 2009 年增长了 61%。[6]Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. September 2016. https://www.samhsa.gov/ (last accessed 25 May 2017).https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR1-2015/NSDUH-FFR1-2015/NSDUH-FFR1-2015.htm[13]Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admnistration (SAMHSA), Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report. Emergency department visits involving methamphetamine: 2007 to 2011. June 2014. https://www.samhsa.gov/ (last accessed 24 May 2017).https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/DAWN_SR167_EDVisitsMeth_06-12-14/DAWN-SR167-EDVisitsMeth-2014.htm