Monitoring Drug Epidemics and the Markets That Sustain Them, Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) and ADAM II Data, 2000-2003 and 2007-2010 (ICPSR 33201)

Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)

Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection

Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes

Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the local nature of drug epidemics and drug markets. Specifically, the study had two objectives:

1. Describe the natural course of the drug problems since 2000 through to the expected near-term future in the 10 jurisdictions served by ADAM II.
2. Evaluate over time the relationships between the changing organization and operation of local drug markets and the direction and course of local drug epidemics, particularly with regard to the possible impact of law enforcement initiatives.

Study Design View help for Study Design

This study analyzed drug epidemics and analyzed changes in drug markets over time using the 37,933 adult male arrestees age 18 and above who provided urine samples from the 10 locations participating in ADAM II. The ADAM program approached a representative sample of arrestees awaiting booking within 48 hours of their arrest at each participating location and asked them to complete a 20-25 minute survey and provide a urine sample. They were offered a small incentive for participation. The ADAM program performed urine tests to obtain an objective measure of recent drug use not subject to respondents' lack of full and accurate disclosure.

The project obtained the ADAM 2000-2003 and the ADAM II 2007-2010 data from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD). Because of the gap between the ADAM and ADAM II programs, there are no data available for three years, 2004-2006. The 2010 data did not become available until November 2011, after all of the analyses had been completed. The study applied for and obtained an extension to this study in order to update analyses. All analyses of the drug epidemics were redone in order to cover 2000-2010. The analyses of drug markets where not revised; they cover 2000-2009.

The study evaluated trends in marijuana, crack, heroin, and methamphetamine at each of the ten ADAM II locations using a drug epidemics framework. The analyses of heroin and methamphetamine trends are limited to the ADAM sites that have had higher levels of use of these drugs. The analysis also examined the use of cocaine powder in contrast to crack cocaine at the five locations most affected by powder cocaine use.

The following three approaches were used to analyze ADAM drug market variables:

1. Micro-data: Reliability and factor analysis of how market structure variables tend to be associated at the level of the individuals' experience.
2. Site-Year Aggregated data: Reliability and factor analysis of the systematic variation in drug market variables over time and across locations.
3. Trend analysis: Visual inspection of the variation in each drug market variable at each site over time comparing the trend to the course of prevailing drug epidemics.

Sample View help for Sample

This study used the 37,933 adult male arrestees age 18 and above who provided urine samples from the 10 locations (Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Manhattan, Minneapolis, Portland Oregon, Sacramento, and Washington DC) participating in ADAM II.

Universe View help for Universe

All adult male arrestees age 18 and above at 10 geographically diverse locations between 2000 to 2003 and 2007 to 2010: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Manhattan, Minneapolis, Portland Oregon, Sacramento, and Washington DC.

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Source View help for Data Source

Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)

Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

Key variables used in the analyses of drug epidemics and drug markets as part of this study include demographic variables, arrest variables, drug variables, and drug market experiences variables. The demographic variables include: age, race, education, employment, and marital status. The arrest variables include: current arrest charge, and charge severity. Drug variables include: urine test results, lifetime drug use, age at first drug use, past year drug use, past month drug use, and past 72 hour drug use. Drug market experiences variables include: types of purchases, non-cash exhange for credit, contact method, use of courier, purchase location, purchase failure, number of dealers in past 30 days, relationship with dealer, and neighborhood of cash purchase.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

From 2000 to 2010, 75-86 percent of selected respondents that were available agreed to participate and 77-91 percent of those provided urine samples.

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2012-12-13

Version History View help for Version History

Weight View help for Weight

The ADAM program uses censuses and propensity scoring to develop sample weights. Sample weights for each location for each year were renormalized so that the sum of all weights equaled the number of cases. This assured that the multi-year analysis would give the appropriate weight to data collected in any given year proportional to the number of cases collected. These weights were used in all statistical calculations to provide unbiased estimates for the target population of adult male arrestees at each location.