NCJ Number
231975
Date Published
November 1999
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of the Gallup Organization survey on the public's perception of Federal efforts to combat drug use.
Abstract
The findings suggest that drug use is still an area of high concern for Americans with most Americans in favor of concrete strategies to reduce the illegal drug problem in America. The overall concern about drug use in America is high. Over half of all Americans say their concern about drug use has increased over the past 5 years (53 percent). Only 3 percent say their concern has decreased, while 44 percent say their concern has stayed the same. Concerns are increasing the most in minority and low income communities. Americans identified crack cocaine as the drug they are most concerned about. Drugs of a much lower concern include: marijuana, heroin, methamphetamines, powder cocaine, and LSD. In 1998, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) contracted with the Gallup Organization to help determine the perceptions of American citizens about the use of illicit drugs and what actions they will support. This effort was designed to help to evaluate the success of the National Drug Control Strategy and also to provide guidance on which to base the development of an effective strategy for 1999. The Gallup Organization conducted telephone surveys with a random sample of 2.032 noninstitutionalized adults age 18 or older living in households in the contiguous continental United States. This report presents findings from the telephone survey. Figures, tables, and appendixes A-C