Drug abuse applications: some regression explorations with national survey data

Personal interview surveys in recent years have provided national estimates of use of marihuana, heroin, and other substances. Over a number of national surveys, consistent relationships have been observed between drug abuse and demographic variables such as age, education, and sex. Where one lives has also been found to be significantly related to level of drug abuse. This is observed in survey data in relationships between experience with drugs and geographic region of residence and community size and type. Regression and other multivariate analyses have been used to help understand the prevalence of drug abuse among various segments of the general population and have provided a means to explore relationships between drug use and a number of additional factors related to location of residence. Regression procedures have also been used in an exploratory way to provide drug abuse estimates for States.