Chapter I.
Changing Patterns of Drug Use in America
H. Drug Use Closely Linked to Crime and Violence
Crime in general continues to decline in the U.S. The FBI's 1997 Preliminary Uniform Crime Reports notes that serious crime has continued its downward trend as indicated by a 4 percent decline from 1996 figures, the sixth consecutive annual decrease in reported crime. Yet arrests for drug-law violations are at record highs. More than 1.5 million Americans were arrested for drug-law violations in 1996. Many crimes (e.g., assault, prostitution, and robbery) are committed under the influence of drugs or may be motivated by a need to get money for drugs. In addition, drug trafficking and violence go hand in hand.
Research conducted at the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program (ADAM) program shows consistently that between one-half and three quarters of all arrestees that were tested in 35 cities around the country have drugs in their system at the time of arrest. About a fifth of all arrestees test positive for more than one drug. About half of those charged with violent crimes or income-generating crimes such as robbery, burglary or theft test positive for more than one drug. Therefore, it is clear that this population is deeply involved in drug use. According to a study in Baltimore, the drug users coming through the court system are highly dependent upon illegal substances as measured by traditional addiction severity instruments.
Although the ADAM program found little change in overall drug use among arrestees between 1996 and 1997, these data do not reflect changing patterns of drug use such as an increase in the use of methamphetamine, and the decrease in use of cocaine and marijuana. Cocaine/crack use seems to be declining in most cities, although individual cities have experienced epidemics. Opiate use is more often seen in older arrestees; the exceptions to this are New Orleans, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. Marijuana use, however, is disproportionately concentrated among youthful arrestees.
