New booklet helps communities assess local drug problems

Local communities can assess the nature of their drug problems using a new guide published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The guide, 'Assessing drug abuse within and across communities,' provides strategies for assessing local drug-abuse patterns and trends, including newly emerging problems, says NIDA Director Alan Leshner, PhD.

It explains how government and public health officials can establish an epidemiology surveillance network for tracking drug abuse in the community. And it explains how to organize and interpret drug use data that often comes from many sources including drug- abuse treatment centers, medical examiner and coroner offices, law enforcement records, HIV/AIDS statistics and state and local drug abuse surveys.

Communities can use the information generated through a drug problem assessment to alert prevention, treatment and public health officials as well as the public so that timely action can be taken to address new trends, says Leshner.

Copies of the guide are available from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, (800) 729-6686, or on the NIDA world wide web page at http://www.nida.nih.gov.

?B. Azar