Reinstitute the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program
Recommendation
The Administration should reinstitute the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program to improve data collection and provide resources for other promising surveillance systems.[1]
Background/summary
In 1998, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) launched the Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program to expand and restructure[2] its predecessor, the Drug Use Forecasting program, which was in place from 1987-1997.[3] ADAM collected data from adult male arrestees to help monitor drug use trends.[4] ADAM provided an objective biological measure of drug use and self-reported use among those arrested and charged with crimes.[4] The NIJ collected ADAM data between 1998-2003[4] and the Office of National Drug Control Policy reinstated ADAM data collection (as ADAM II) in 2007 with a reduced number of data collection sites.[4] ADAM data has not been collected since 2013, when the program was discontinued.
Data informs decisions in public health by tracking better, faster, and more actionable insights.[5] Centralized data collection repositories like ADAM aid in sharing outcomes, trends, and insights in addressing drug use within this population. ADAM data provided critical information for policymakers at local and federal levels to assess trends of use and impact of public programs.[6]
citations
1. Presidential Commission. The President’s Commission On Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Last Updated November 2017.
2. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. 1997 Drug Use Forecasting Annual Report on Adult and Juvenile Arrestees. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
3. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. NIJ’s Drug and Crime Research: Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Programs. Last Updated May 6, 2012.
4. The White House, President Barack Obama Archives: Office of National Drug Control Policy. Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring Program. Last Accessed July 27, 2023.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Surveillance and Data: Data Modernization Initiative. Last Updated April 7, 2023.
6. Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy. ADAM II: 2013 Annual Report. Last Updated January 2014.