NCJ Number
178454
Date Published
1999
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This chapter sets the stage for examining the methods and findings of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Drug Study (DC*MADS) in the following chapters of this book.
Abstract
It first discusses the effects of drug abuse on the Nation, trends in the use of alcohol and other drugs, and issues associated with drug use in metropolitan areas. It introduces the DC*MADS project and provides an overview of the book's content. The effects of drugs and alcohol abuse are discussed in terms of their impact on crime, health and health care services, youth development and family relationships, the workplace, and other aspects of life. The authors conclude that drug and alcohol abuse affects all segments of the population. A review of drug use in metropolitan America reviews the relevant findings of the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse through 1996. The findings show that although illicit drug use has been in a long- term decline in the household population, it may be stable or increasing among hardcore drug users. This section of the chapter also discusses the development of estimates of drug use in a metropolitan area and the studies needed to determine the prevalence of drug use and the range and complexity of associated problems. The brief description of DC*MADS notes its two broad purposes to be an estimate of the prevalence, correlates, and consequences of drug abuse among all types of people residing in the metropolitan area during one time period, as well as the development of a methodology for similar research in other U.S. metropolitan areas. 32 references