Their frontline reports offer early warning of national trends

Current and emerging patterns and trends in drug abuse will be discussed at the 48th meeting of the Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), June 13-16, at the Hilton Baltimore and Towers, 20 West Baltimore Street, in Baltimore, MD. "For 24 years, the CEWG has given the country frontline reports on emerging drug use trends in the United States," notes Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). "Advance knowledge of new forms of drug use, such as 'rolling and trolling' (combining Ecstasy with LSD), and reports of localized drug use problems from these important urban areas are invaluable to our understanding of drug use nationwide."

The CEWG is a network of researchers and public health officials from 20 major U.S. metropolitan areas and the state of Texas established by NIDA in 1976. The group meets twice a year to discuss current patterns and trends of drug abuse.

The CEWG includes researchers from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and from the state of Texas. Specific information sources include treatment and mortality data from local or state agencies; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN); the National Institute of Justice's Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) System; and seizure, price, purity, prescription/distribution, and arrest data from the Drug Enforcement Administration and state and local law enforcement agencies.

The 48th meeting will open on Tuesday, June 13, at 8:55 a.m. with comments from Dr. Leshner. Tuesday's session will include reports from Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Miami; Boston; New York City; Newark; Philadelphia; New Orleans; St. Louis; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Chicago; and Detroit. The agenda on Wednesday, June 14, will feature reports from Texas, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Honolulu, followed by discussion.

The morning session Thursday, June 15, will feature a discussion of NIDA's programs, including epidemiology, services, and prevention research; treatment research and development; neuroscience and behavioral research; science policy and communications; and AIDS and other medical consequences of drug abuse.

The international component of this meeting, on Thursday and Friday, June 15 and 16, will include presentations from researchers and discussions among health officials and academicians from selected countries, including Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, the Pacific Islands, Australia, South Africa, and reports from Europe and Asia.

Note: A preliminary agenda is included, and the media is invited to attend the meeting. To register or arrange interviews, please call the NIDA press office at 301-443-6245.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports more than 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the rapid dissemination of research information and its implementation in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and other topics can be ordered free of charge in English and Spanish by calling NIDA Infofax at 888-NIH-NIDA (644-6432) or 888-TTY-NIDA (889-6432) for the deaf. These fact sheets and further information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at http://www.drugabuse.gov.

COMMUNITY EPIDEMIOLOGY WORK GROUP (CEWG)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

TUESDAY, JUNE 13
SUBSTANCE ABUSE SURVEILLANCE IN THE EASTERN AND CENTRAL UNITED STATES

8:00 a.m.
Registration

8:15 a.m.
Morning Refreshments

8:55 a.m.

9:00 a.m.
Opening Comments

Introductory Remarks
Nicholas Kozel

Alan Leshner

9:30 a.m.
Baltimore Report
Leigh Henderson

9:50 a.m.
Washington, DC, Report
Alfred Pach

10:10 a.m.
Atlanta Report
Claire Sterk

10:30 a.m.
Miami Report
James Hall

10:50 a.m.
Break

11:20 a.m.
Boston Report
Thomas Clark

11:40 a.m.
New York City Report
Blanche Frank

12:00 a.m.
Newark Report
Abate Mammo

12:20 noon
Philadelphia Report
Samuel Cutler

12:40 p.m.
Open Discussion
Peter Delany

1:00 p.m.
Lunch

2:30 p.m.
New Orleans Report
Gail Thornton-Collins

2:50 p.m.
St. Louis Report
James Topolski

3:10 p.m.
Minneapolis/St. Paul Report
Carol Falkowski

3:30 p.m.
Break

4:00 p.m.
Chicago Report
Lorna Thorpe

4:20 p.m.
Detroit Report
Richard Calkins

4:40 p.m.
Open Discussion
Peter Delany

5:00 p.m.
Adjourn for the day

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14
MORNING SESSION: SUBSTANCE ABUSE SURVEILLANCE IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

8:15 a.m.
Morning Refreshments

9:00 a.m.
Texas Report
Jane Maxwell

9:20 a.m.
Denver Report
Bruce Mendelson

9:40 a.m.
Phoenix Report
Ilene Dode

10:00 a.m.
Seattle Report
Norma Jaegar

10:20 a.m.
San Francisco Report
John Newmeyer

10:40 a.m.
Break

11:10 a.m.
Los Angeles Report
Kiku Annon

11:30 a.m.
San Diego Report
Michael Ann Haight

11:50 a.m.
Honolulu Report
William Wood

12:10 p.m.
Open Discussion
Peter Delany

12:30 p.m.
Lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION:
DRUG ABUSE SURVEILLANCE ISSUES IN THE BALTIMORE AREA

2:00 p.m.
ELCID in the Year 2000
James Anthony

2:30 p.m.
Research Issues
Eric Wish

3:00 p.m.
Break

3:30 p.m.
Baltimore Research
James Peterson

4:00 p.m.
A Tale of Two Epidemics: Heroin in Baltimore
Michael Agar

4:30 p.m.

4:45 p.m.
DAWN Redesign Update

ADAM Update
Lori Ducharme

Christine Crossland

5:00 p.m.
Adjourn for the Day

THURSDAY, JUNE 15
MORNING SESSION:
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE (NIDA) RESEARCH

8:15 a.m.
Morning Refreshments

9:00 a.m.
NIDA: Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research
Richard Millstein

9:30 a.m.
NIDA: Division of Treatment Research and Development
William Glass

10:00 a.m.
NIDA: Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
David Thomas

10:30 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m.
NIDA: Office of Science Policy and Communications
Timothy Condon

11:30 noon
NIDA: Center on AIDS and Other Medical Consequences of Drug Abuse
Henry Francis

12:00 p.m.
Lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION:
SUBSTANCE ABUSE INTELLIGENCE AND INTERNATIONAL SURVEILLANCE

2:00 p.m.
National Drug Intelligence Center: Domestic Trends
Maurice Rinfret

2:30 p.m.
Trends in Worldwide Narcotics Production
Bryan Soderholm

3:00 p.m.
Break

3:30 p.m.
Canada Report
Edward Adlaf

4:00 p.m.
Mexico Report -- SISVEA
Patricia Cravioto

4:30 p.m.
Adjourn for the Day

FRIDAY, JUNE 16
INTERNATIONAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE SURVEILLANCE

8:00 a.m.
Morning Refreshments

9:00 a.m.
Asia Report -- AMCEWG
Vis Navaratnam

9:30 a.m
Pakistan Report
Kamran Niaz

10:00 a.m.
Pacific Islands Update
Amelia Arria

10:30 a.m.
Break

11:00 a.m.
Australia Report
Jeremy Davey

11:30 a.m.
South Africa Report -- SACENDU
Arvin Bhana

12:00 noon

12:30 p.m.
Europe Report

Closing Comments
Paul Griffiths

Nicholas Kozel

12:45 p.m.
Adjourn