To pee or not to pee: reconsidering the need for urinalysis

While urinalysis is used regularly as a tool to validate self-reported recent drug use, past research has been inconclusive in evaluating concordance between the two measures. In the current study, urinalysis results for cocaine and opiates are compared to self-reported three-day cocaine and opiate use with data collected through Houston's Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) Program between 1990 and 1999. Separate analyses are conducted for each year during the decade. Kappa statistics indicate that the strength of agreement between the two drug use measures is consistent over time. These findings suggest that the need for urinalysis should be reconsidered.