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DEWS Investigates: New Student Drug Research (SDR) Survey Examines Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among College Students

NCJ Number
212752
Date Published
July 2005
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This report describes the Student Drug Research (SDR) survey methodology and presents results from the March and April 2004 surveys.
Abstract
The SDR survey is a new tool designed by the Drug Early Warning System (DEWS) to monitor drug trends among college students. The SDR methodology involves a consistent panel of 26 student reporters (SRs) who complete periodic surveys on their perceptions of drug availability, drug trends, and emerging drug trends around campus. In March and April, 24 and 21 SRs, respectively, completed SDR surveys. The results indicated that alcohol, marijuana, and Adderall were prevalent and easy to obtain around campus. Ritalin and psychedelic mushrooms were the next most accessible drugs while the most difficult drugs to obtain around campus were crack cocaine, ketamine, and heroin. The non-medical use of stimulants was perceived as widespread. Implications for drug interventions are discussed and the researchers observe that the SDR methodology appears to be promising for providing information about the drug use patterns of college students. Tables, figure, footnotes, references