History of heroin prevalence estimation techniques

Historical methods for estimating the number of heroin addicts were based on extrapolation from local surveys. More recent estimation methods have attempted to use data collected from special sources, such as records of narcotic arrests and treatment program admissions. In addition, national surveys of the household and high school populations have provided estimates of heroin use. Dynamic and stochastic models have been developed in attempts to relate data from the special populations and the surveys.