NCJ Number
175660
Date Published
April 1999
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This report presents 1998 data on methamphetamine use among arrestees, based on the findings from arrestee drug testing under the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM).
Abstract
In 1998 the ADAM program expanded from 23 to 35 urban sites across the United States. Perhaps more than any other drug monitored in ADAM, methamphetamine varied in prevalence across sites. There were sites in which virtually no methamphetamine was found among arrestees and others in which it was the first or second most prevalent drug detected. In all, 18 sites reported less than 2 percent of male or female arrestees who tested positive for methamphetamine. In contrast there were nine sites where as much as one-fifth of the male or female arrestees tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, rates comparable to those more typically found with cocaine and marijuana. For the 23 veteran sites, the study compared 1998 methamphetamine use with that found in previous years. Data show that the high methamphetamine-positive rates reported in some areas were not declining appreciably. Only in San Diego has there been a decline of more than five percentage points for both male and female arrestees; however, even this decline still places San Diego with the highest methamphetamine rate in the ADAM system. Although the prevalence of methamphetamine in the ADAM system was apparently localized to the West and Northeast, other areas, such as Des Moines, Oklahoma City, and Omaha, showed striking results. Methamphetamine had a greater likelihood of use among women and among white arrestees than other drugs detected. Overall, methamphetamine continues to be a serious problem in large sections of the Nation. Information on methamphetamine use by age suggests that in many communities, large proportions of young offenders are involved in methamphetamine, suggesting that the problem will be durable. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 4 references