NCJ Number
179897
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: Summer 1999 Pages: 529-548
Date Published
1999
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The suitability of various data sources used by researchers in the Netherlands for the early detection, tracking, and understanding of changes in drug abuse patterns in various populations is assessed, based on case studies on the emergence of ecstasy, the changing routes of heroin administration, and the introduction of crack cocaine.
Abstract
The Netherlands has developed a broad range of information systems and other data sources that focus on various aspects of illicit drug use. Researchers can put these to use in their drug studies. The two general types of data include routine statistics, including police and criminal justice statistics, drug treatment data, and ongoing assessments of drug users' health, and non-routine data such as prevalence surveys, studies of drug-using populations, research related to drug markets, and telephone help lines and news media. The case studies of three types of drug abuse revealed that different information systems are sensitive to various changes in drug consumption patterns among target groups of current or potential drug users. The Dutch Ministry of Health has recently initiated the National Drug Monitor (NDM) to improve data collection; several projects have already been established under NDM. The case studies and the NDM project suggests how to develop an effective model for tracking new trends in drug use. In this model, the suitability of different data sources depends on the topic, the population, and the stage in the diffusion process of the trend. Each data source has its own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, changes can be detected, tracked, and understood only by continuously comparing information from various sources. Table, figures, and 77 references