The United States if faced with an ever increasing array of problems stemming from the use and abuse of illegal substances. Persons of all ages and socioeconomic background are touched by this experience of drug-abuse. Along with the increasing use of illegal drugs, there has developed an increase in public interest in studying this problem. Not only is thenuse and abuse of drugs an overwhelming problem for society, but simply trying to keep abreast of all the published literature on drug abuse is an overwhelming problem for researchers and providers of social and health care services. A relatively recent development in medical research has been the application of meta-analytic methods. Originating in the social sciences, meta-analysis provides methods to critically review studies and statistically combine data from similar studies to increase power, obtain a more precise estimate of effect, and better understand conflicting results. The purpose of this project is to apply these techniques to the drug-abuse literature with emphasis on combining data from trials of prevention and therapy, from sources estimating the incidence and prevalence of drug abuse including epidemiological studies nd databases, and about the medical and psychiatric complications of drug-abuse including the effects of the spread of HIV-infection. We will apply meta-analytic methods to the drug-abuse problem with four specific aims: to monitor the pertinent literature and detect all experiences to combine in order to provide a coherent picture of current developments in the field; to development new methods for meta-analyzing epidemiologic and socioeconomic data; to monitor all current health databases for information about the effects of drug abuse; and, finally, to develop software to make the results of the research available in a more timely and complete fashion than the usual publication processes.
