NCJ Number
198892
Date Published
October 2002
Length
246 pages
Annotation
This report presents supplementary technical appendices to accompany the 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, which focuses on both illicit and legal substance abuse in the United States.
Abstract
The 2000 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse collects information regarding the demographic characteristics of substance abusers, patterns of substance use, treatment for drug addiction, perceptions of risk, criminal activities associated with substance abuse, and mental health problems. The 2000 findings are presented under separate cover and offers data on substance use by State. This report presents supplementary technical appendices that show the methodological model used for the survey. It is explained that an introductory letter is sent to households, followed by a visit from an interviewer. The actual interview takes approximately 1 hour to complete and the results are confidential, meaning the person is not identified in any of the reports. A description of the survey instrument is included, as well as the statistical methods and the noted limitations of the data. Limitations include inaccurate self-report data due to the nature of the study. Relying on self-reports of illicit substance use is inherently problematic, but it is also one of the only tools available to get a picture of substance use across the American population.