Information Needs for Drug Abuse Policy in the Washington Metropolitan Area
Abstract
Driven by a record number of homicides, most related to drug selling, concern with drug problems in the Washington area has reached a new height. This concern has led to an interest in examining how adequately the area is served by the available public sector data systems concerning drug problem and programs. There are three broad reasons for the public and private sectors to want information about drug use in the region: 1) to raise public awareness of the problem and create a constructive sense of urgency; 2) to help policymakers decide what to do; and 3) to track overall progress -- reduction of drug use in the population as a whole and in specific subgroups. What we have now in the Washington metropolitan area is probably sufficient to achieve the first purpose, but not the second and third. We used the available data in an earlier study. This paper suggests how to build on what already exists to do a credible job for all three purposes, with the focus on the second and the third.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA228264
Entities
People
- John Haaga
- Peter Reuter
Organizations
- RAND Corporation