Recent reports have suggested that the United States is experiencing a methamphetamine epidemic. However, previous studies conducted on the use of methamphetamine in the United States have suffered from several limitations. In this study, a secondary analysis on the prevalence and correlates of methamphetamine use was performed with data collected through the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program. The ADAM program was established by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, in 1987 with the intent to identify levels of drug use among arrestees, track changing drug-use patterns, determine what drugs were being used and where, alert local officials to trends in drug use and drug availability, provide data on the drug-crime connection, and serve as a research platform for a variety of drug-related initiatives. An exploration of methamphetamine-positive rates among ADAM sites between 1991 and 2001 indicated that its use was concentrated within the Western part of the United States. Methamphetamine-positive arrestees were three times as likely to be White and have been diagnosed in need of drug treatment. The findings suggest that the criminal justice system needs to develop better means of screening and detecting the real rates of treatment need. References