NCJ Number
211259
Date Published
January 2005
Length
130 pages
Annotation
This report presents a summary of the major findings of the January 2005 Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) meeting, which focused on trends in the abuse of stimulant drugs.
Abstract
Stimulant drug abuse, particularly the abuse of cocaine and methamphetamine, has been on the increase across the United States. Concern over this trend prompted the CEWG to focus their research and analysis efforts on stimulant drug abuse for their January 2005 meeting. The research of the CEWG covers 21 geographic areas and data are drawn from forensic drug laboratory testing data, substance abuse treatment admissions, drug-related mortality data, and drug seizure, trafficking, price, and purity data. The key findings presented at the January 2005 meeting included evidence that cocaine continued to be the most widely abused illicit stimulant drug in the CEWG area during 2003-2004. On the other hand, the prevalence of methamphetamine abuse varied widely by CEWG area. Areas of high methamphetamine abuse included Honolulu, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle while indicators in Atlanta and Minneapolis/St. Paul indicated a substantial increase in methamphetamine abuse during the 2003-2004 period. Other eastern CEWG areas continued to have low levels of methamphetamine abuse and areas such as New York and Philadelphia reported methamphetamine abuse among select populations, such as within networks of gay males. Indicators of other drug abuse, including Ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, and prescription drug abuse, were also reported on at the January 2005 meeting and panels were convened on methamphetamine abuse and on the potential of the Internet as a tool for monitoring drug abuse trends. Exhibits, references, appendixes