U.S. Department of State: The U.S. State Department provides an annual assessment of the drug problem in a country-by-country listing (go to "International Topics and Issues" on the main page. There is also a page that provides links to Federal drug data sources, along with a brief description of each. If you are looking for data on drugs this is a good starting point.
National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): This site is full of good research information
and features selected articles on every drug of abuse. Statistics on high-school
drug use are accessible for the years 1975 through the most recent data, as
are data on college drug use. This is a good place to start any drug-related
research.
Drug Enforcement Administration:
This website gives an overview of the DEA's mission and programs. It also provides
statistics on trends in drug use, employment opportunities, briefings on particular
drugs (such as date rape drugs), and a host of other information. These briefings
can be found in the publications area (www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/pblist.htm).
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
(ATF): Describes the history and mission of the ATF, as well as data
on such issues as the number of illegal alcohol operations, ATF news and publications,
career opportunities, and domestic alcohol and tobacco production.
United States Customs Service:
From this website you can access information about Customs and about some of
their current programs related to drug-enforcement.
The Office of National Drug
Control Policy: The website emphasizes the mission and purpose of the
office, and includes press releases and Congressional testimony.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
While the CDC is normally associated with monitoring and responding to contagious
diseases in the U.S., it serves a number of other functions. Among these other
functions is monitoring the drug problem in the U.S. From this site you can
access information about some aspects of the drug problem in the U.S.
SAMHSA -- Substance Abuse & Mental Health
Services Administration: SAMHSA is an excellent source of data about
drug use in the U.S. Click on the "Statistics" button on the main page and you
will be directed to several important sources of data, including Drug Abuse
Warning Network (DAWN) data, which is based on drug-related emergency room admissions,
and data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. There is also a National
Directory of Drug Abuse and Alcoholism Treatment and Prevention Programs, and
much more.
OJP
Drug Court Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Project (DCPO): This
site, housed at American University, provides a wealth of information about
drug courts. Perhaps the best place to start if you want to learn about them.
Cops Against the Drug War: This is an anti-prohibition site in which current and former members of law enforcement and criminal justice speak out against current drug policies. The organization provides speakers who argue against the war on drugs.
The Lindesmith Center: This site is named in honor of Alfred Lindesmith, an early drug policy reformer. The site features full-length articles focusing on drug policy from economic, criminal justice, and public health perspectives. The articles cover a range of issues, from medical marijuana to needle exchange, to legalization. There are also many links to other sites.
DrugScience:
This site provides a wealth of scientific information about drugs, but has a
particular focus on marijuana. As an advocacy site, the scientific information
is slanted toward the reform of drug laws, but there is a lot of quality material
presented here.
National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws: The focus of NORML is on marijuana and includes efforts
to change the law, to develop hemp as an industrial product, and to inform citizens
of their rights under the law. The site provides a state-by-state guide to current
marijuana laws.
Marijuana News: This site
provides very thorough and up-to-date information regarding marijuana, including
current news items, legislative issues, and policy materials. It is updated
six days a week.
High Times Magazine: This site
provides information about cultivating marijuana and about current activities
to change the laws regarding marijuana.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums:
As the name implies, this site is maintained by the family members of people
who have been subject to mandatory minimums. The site provides good information
about why this group thinks mandatory minimums are a bad idea.
Forfeiture Endangers American Rights (FEAR):
This non-profit organization is dedicated to reforming federal and state asset
forfeiture laws. The site includes articles related to forfeiture and provides
examples of how it has been misused.
Ecstasy: This site gathers and makes
accessible "objective, authoritative and up-to-date information about the drug
ecstasy (principally MDMA)."
Alcoholics
Anonymous: Founded in 1935, AA is the model upon which many other 12-step
programs are based. This site provides information about the organization and
about alcoholism in general.
Narcotics Anonymous: This not-for-profit
"community-based association of recovering drug addicts" was started in 1947
and currently has more than 20,000 weekly meetings. This site describes the
NA program and provides information about narcotics addiction.
Cocaine Anonymous: This no-for-profit
voluntary association is based on AA's 12-step philosophy. The site describes
the Cocaine Anonymous program and suggests warning signs of cocaine abuse.
National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence: The organization describes
itself as providing "education, information, help and hope in the fight against
the chronic, often fatal disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions." It
is a voluntary organization with a nationwide network of affiliates. "NCADD
advocates prevention, intervention, research and treatment and is dedicated
to ridding the disease of its stigma and its sufferers from their denial and
shame.
Prevline: Prevention Online: This
site is maintained by the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information,
an office within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The site directs the reader to relevant links, publications, conferences, and
research data.
Racing for Recovery: This
nonprofit organization focuses on the use of fitness and health, including half-triathalons
and run/walk events, to help prevent all forms of substance abuse. The organization
also uses its approach and activities to help those seeking to recover from
addiction.
Rational Recovery Society: The
Rational Recovery movement is perhaps one of the most active alternatives to
traditional 12-step programs (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous).
This page provides some background to the RR movement and explains some of their
principles.
Impact
of Needle Exchange Programs: This report, released by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, summarizes what is known about the public health
effects of needle exchange programs.
Workshop
on the Medical Utility of Marijuana: This report for the National Institutes
of Health is by an ad hoc group of experts and summarizes the results of a 2-day
meeting in February of 1997 to review the scientific data on the potential therapeutic
uses for marijuana.
Rohypnol ("roofies"):
This publication by the DEA describes a category of drugs sometimes known as
"date-rape" drugs. it does a good job of outlining the nature of the problem.
Punishment and Prejudice: Racial
Disparities in the War on Drugs: This publication by the the international
human right organization Human Rights Watch examines racial disparity in arrest
and imprisonment on a state-by-state bases in the United States. This is a very
thought provoking report, and Illinois is singled out as the state with the
greatest level of disparity.
Driving While Black:
Racial Profiling on Our Nation's Highways: This publication by the the
American Civil Liberties Union focuses on the use of racial profiling in traffic
stops. Many of these profile-based stops are related to the search for drugs.
The
Narco News Bulletin: This site focuses on essays and articles about
the war on drugs in South America.
(Last Modified: 07/30/07) This page maintained by Ralph A. Weisheit