Methamphetamine use among San Diego County arrestees

Between 1987 and 2003, an objective measure of recent drug use from a high-risk group was collected as part of a federally-funded program called ADAM (Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring). The information collected as part of this project supplemented other self-report data collected across the country with the general population. San Diego County was one of the original ADAM sites, and with local funding support was able to maintain the essential aspects of the program uninterrupted when national support was discontinued. In May 2006, the results of data collected in calendar year 2005 as part of a standard interview with adult and juvenile arrestees, urinalysis, as well as a methamphetamine (meth) addendum were presented at the Substance Abuse Research Consortium (SARC) meeting in Pasadena, California. This article provides a summary of these descriptive data, including a profile of recent meth users, reasons for initiating and continuing use, patterns of use, and trends in use over time. Additionally, information regarding juveniles' perceived risk of meth use and the potential effects meth has on communities is highlighted. Potential policy implications and areas for further research are also discussed.