What is NIDA doing about it?
Recent research has revealed an increasing problem with prescription drug abuse, yet we still must get a better picture of the broader epidemiologic patterns of abuse. We need to learn more about how specific drugs are abused and in what quantities and combinations, why they are abused and how often, as well as other associated medical and health consequences. We also need a better understanding of the regional and local variations in patterns of abuse, and the influence of age, gender, and race/ethnicity-all of which can provide an essential foundation for developing effective and targeted interventions and services. Epidemiology and surveillance We have at our disposal a series of surveillance instruments, which we use to continuously monitor trends in all forms of drug abuse, including the abuse of prescribed medications. For example, 21 Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) sentinel sites across the Nation provide ongoing community-level surveillance of drug abuse profiles throu
