Monitoring trends in drug use

The pattern of drug use in a community can alter so rapidly that the conventional methods of survey do not adequately assess the dynamics of the situation. Monitoring may indicate changes in prevalence, attitudes, and a variety of other criteria in the course of time, and from this base allow assessment of intervention measures and the prediction of trends. Annual surveys of selected population groups with a self-administered questionnaire established the utility of this technique of monitoring, and revealed a progressive increase in the use of licit and illicit drugs, principally alcohol and marijuana. The only group of drugs to show a decrease in use were the stimulants.