The use and abuse of illicit and prescription drugs is a persistent problem in the United States (US) and has been for decades. Employers, public policy decision makers, law enforcement, media and the general public all have an interest in assessing past, current and emerging trends in drug use. Unfortunately, there is no single data source that can answer all of the questions pertaining to drug use trends in the US, however, there are several well-recognized sources that, when taken together, can help to create a broader view. This review of those datasets is designed to acquaint the reader with the available information and to compare and contrast current findings.
Drug Use and Abuse Data Sources
National Survey of Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH, htp://
store.samhsa.gov/list/ series?name=National-Survey-on-Drug-Use-and- Health-NSDUH-) is conducted by the US De- partment of Health and Human Services (HHS) and was formerly known as the NIDA Household Survey. Te NSDUH is considered by many to be the definitive source for national estimates of rates of use, numbers of users and other measures related to illicit drugs (including the non-medical use of prescription drugs), alcohol and tobacco products in society. Tis annual, national survey of self-reported drug use in the US population includes approximately 67,500 civilian, non- institutionalized individuals aged 12 years old or older. Tis dataset is useful in assessing broader societal paterns of illicit drug use.
Quest Diagnostics Drug Testing Index ™
(DTI, htp://
www.QuestDiagnostics.com/ DTI) includes an annual report of trends in workplace – applicants and employees – drug test (urine, oral fluid and hair) results, prior to any MRO review. In recent years, the DTI has reported on more than 7-8 million workplace drug tests annually and more than 150 mil- lion results in the past 25+ years. Te DTI does not include results from criminal justice, rehabilitation/medical testing or point of
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collection tests (POCT) where it is not pos- sible to track the number of negative screens performed outside of the laboratory environ- ment. Tis dataset is useful in assessing what employers are experiencing in their workforce drug testing programs.
Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN, htp://
store.samhsa.gov/list/ series?name=Drug-Abuse-Warning-Network- DAWN-&pageNumber=1) is also administered by HHS. Te DAWN report presents estimates of drug-related visits to emergency departments (EDs) and includes data for illegal, prescription and over-the-counter drugs and inhalants from a nationally representative sample of general, non-Federal hospitals with 24-hour EDs. Tis dataset is useful in assessing current drug use involved in medical emergencies.
Monitoring the Future (MTF, htp://
www.monitoringthefuture.org) is an ongoing study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), which is a part of HHS. Te MTF is conducted by the Survey Research Center in the Institute for So- cial Research at the University of Michigan and presents national estimates of drug use by 8th 10th
, , and 12th grade students based on a survey
of approximately 50,000 students annually. Tis dataset is useful in assessing what drugs and usage rates employers may start to see as these young people enter the workforce.
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