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Drug Treatment Effectiveness: An Examination of Conceptual and Policy Issues

NCJ Number
186796
Journal
Substance Use and Misuse: An International Interdisciplinary Forum Volume: 35 Issue: 12-14 Dated: 2000 Pages: 1629-1657
Author(s)
Michael L. Prendergast Ph.D.; Deborah Podus Ph.D.
Date Published
2000
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses various concepts/views of what constitutes effective treatment for drug dependence and how these views are involved in policy decisions regarding treatment.
Abstract
After reviewing the emergence of evidence-based medicine, the authors discuss the rise of efficacy research, effectiveness research, and other types of outcome-based evaluations of drug-user treatment. They note, however, that despite a growing consensus among researchers on the effectiveness of drug-user treatment, there is still substantial public skepticism in the United States about the value of treatment. The authors argue that one of the primary reasons for the lack of public consensus in the United States is the wide disagreement over the nature of the drug dependence problem and for whom it may be a problem. The paper reviews some of the most common models and their implications for evaluating effectiveness; and it argues that the differences in perspective among these models constitute the core of policy debate over drug treatment policy in the United States. The paper concludes that because evaluation research as currently practiced does not address these issues, its utility for policy purposes is limited in the American context. 1 table, 10 notes, and 60 references

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