The survey technique in drug abuse assessment

Surveys are now used widely in the assessment of behaviour and attitudes in many domains, including politics, economics, fertility and health. They have also come into more widespread use in the assessment of drug use, although there are some obstacles to be overcome in this area of behaviour that is not shared by many of the others. This article presents a review of how surveys fit into the larger picture of drug epidemiology, the different types of survey designs that can be used, together with the research purposes they serve, and the various advantages and limitations of the survey technique for assessing drug use in a population. Mention is also made of the current movement towards international comparability in measures and methods used in such surveys and of the advantages of this development for the comparison and integration of findings across countries.