title: Monitoring trends in drug use.
abstract: 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.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs