Drug Use Survey. A pair of August 7 th Associated Press reports on a new drug use survey suffered from headline schizophrenia. And therein lies a story about news and numbers.
Simple findings are the headline-writer's friend.
Unfortunately, a great deal of important research tends to fall into the latter category. The AP was not alone in having difficulty with this story. This annual survey, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, provides estimates of the prevalence of use of a variety of illicit drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. It also serves as a key indicator of drug use among young people. They seemed to take on different meanings, however, depending on what newspaper you read.