NCJ Number
131183
Date Published
1991
Length
287 pages
Annotation
This third triennial report to Congress on drug abuse and drug abuse research summarizes the extent of drug abuse in the United States, its health implications, and recent advances in the prevention and treatment of drug dependence.
Abstract
Based on two ongoing major national surveys of drug abuse, this report concludes that the rapid increase in drug abuse of the past two decades has been reversed. Abuse of almost all categories of drugs has decreased sharply from the epidemic levels of the 1970's. There have been research developments critical to improved drug abuse prevention. Research on the heightened vulnerability among children of alcoholics to abuse alcohol is being extended to include children whose parents abuse other drugs. Prevention programs are increasingly emphasizing the development of interpersonal skills, enhanced self-perception, and the ability to resist peer pressure as well as use it to encourage remaining drug free. Regarding drug abuse treatment, research indicates that by virtually every criterion used, drug abuse significantly decreases following treatment. Other topics discussed in this report are the relationship between drug abuse and psychiatric illness, AIDS and intravenous drug abuse, the use of cocaine and other stimulants, marijuana and the cannabinoids, PCP and related substances, opiates and the immune function, sedatives and anti-anxiety agents, nicotine dependence, and basic research on opioid peptides and receptors. Author and drug indexes