Number of Arrestees Testing Positive for Drugs Rising in Most Areas

DRUG USE, DRUG ABUSE January 1995

The annual "Drug Use Forecasting" (DUF) report shows that in most cities more people arrested are testing positive for drug use (National Institute of Justice, "Drug Use Forecasting. 1993 Annual Report on Adult Arrestees: Drugs and Crime in America's Cities," Nov. 1994; "Drug Use by Arrestees Was Up in 1993, Study Finds," Drug Enforcement Report, p. 7)).

At each of the 23 testing sites urine samples were collected and interviews conducted quarterly from approximately 225 males and 100 females.

This year most areas found the greatest increase in positives to be for marijuana. Seventeen of 23 men's facilities reported an increase in the rate of arrestees testing positive for marijuana. The overall rate of male arrestees testing positive for marijuana rose from 26 percent in 1992 to 28 percent in 1993.

The greatest number of positives are still from cocaine, although that number has remained steady. Nine sites reported an increase in the percent of male arrestees testing positive for cocaine and twelve reported a drop. The overall percentage of positives decreased from 45 to 43 percent between 1992 and 1993.

This study does not report national trends in data, but can be used to track rates of drug positive arrestees in certain cities. The cities that participate in DUF are Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Miami, New Orleans, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego, San Jose, and Washington DC.

[For a copy of this report, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 1-800-851-3420 or write NCJRS, Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20850. Ask for report NCJ 147411.]