NCJ Number
142973
Date Published
1993
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of urinalysis designed to determine the incidence of drug abuse among persons arrested in 24 metropolitan areas in the United States during 1992.
Abstract
Data were collected on 14 consecutive evenings in each quarter, using voluntary and anonymous urine specimens and interviews from a new sample of booked arrestees. In each site, approximately 225 males were sampled. In 21 sites, female arrestees and juvenile arrestees or detainees were also sampled. More than 90 percent of the arrestees approached agreed to be interviewed. The urine specimens were sent to a central laboratory, where they were analyzed for 10 drugs: cocaine, opiates, marijuana, PCP, methadone, benzodiazepines, methaqualone, propoxyphene, barbiturates, and amphetamines. Results revealed that the percent of male booked arrestees testing positive for a drug ranged from 47 percent in Phoenix to 78 percent in Philadelphia. For females, the percent positive ranged from 44 percent in San Antonio to 85 percent in Manhattan. Since 1988, cocaine has remained the prevalent drug among the majority of arrestees. Marijuana use rose in 1992, following steady and significant declines in 1991. Trend analysis revealed that drug abuse among arrestees remains at high levels. The data were also analyzed by the arrestees' demographic characteristics and offenses. Tables and figures