Uses and misuses of epidemiology in shaping and assessing drug policy

Abstract

Shaping andI have argued previously that epidemiologic data should be the basic data by which we measure the impact of drug policies (Duncan, 1993). In this paper I will try to give a more extended discussion of the uses which should be made of epidemiologic data in the analysis of drug policies as well as a warning against some of the more common misuses of such data in the drug policy arena. Following in the footsteps of J. N. Morris (1955), I will describe seven uses of epidemiology:First and foremost, epidemiology is the science of causes. There are numerous sciences which can contribute to our understanding of the causes of drug abuse but the ultimate test of any theory of drug abuse must be a test in a real human community--and the design and conduct of such

Risk Factors for Addictive Disorders: A Discriminant Analysis on 374 Addicted and 513 Nonpsychiatric Participants

“…The main limitation of the study is related to the generalization of the results that could lead to the error known as the clinician's fallacy, a distortion of the clinical picture (21,22,49). Patients in treatment are never representative of the generally much larger population of persons who have the same disorder.…”

Epidemiology meets cultural studies: Studying and understanding youth cultures, clubs and drugs

“…We must note, though, that some epidemiologists would argue that the frequency of equating drug use with drug abuse is not an inherent tendency of epidemiology, but rather a misuse of it (Duncan, 1997; Terris, 1987, 1990, 1992). …”