NCJ Number
202542
Journal
Criminal Justice Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 269-286
Date Published
August 2003
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article introduces the new International Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (I-ADAM) program and presents descriptive statistics from four countries.
Abstract
The I-ADAM program involves a network of researchers from around the world who have agreed to follow similar protocol in collecting data concerning detained arrestees history of drug abuse. Self-report data from the arrestees is verified through urinalysis. The point of the program is to gain knowledge of drug use in different countries and to use that knowledge to target appropriate intervention, prevention, and treatment programs. In order to demonstrate how the I-ADAM dataset may be utilized, the authors analyzed I-ADAM data from four countries: Australia, England, South Africa, and the United States. The I-ADAM sampling procedures, research design, survey instruments, and human subjects concerns are described. Descriptive statistics comparing drug use patterns in the four countries are presented. Marijuana is revealed to be the most popular drug in each country, with Australian arrestees having the highest urinalysis positive rate for marijuana (56 percent) and the United States arrestees having the lowest positive rate (41 percent). The statistics concerning patterns of drug use are meant to demonstrate similarities and differences in findings in order to guide future research. The data generated through the I-ADAM program will have important implications for policymakers as they struggle with how to curb the pervasive problem of drug abuse. Tables, notes, references