RESEARCH METHODS FOR ILLEGAL DRUG-USE IN HIDDEN POPULATIONS - SUMMARYREPORT OF A EUROPEAN INVITED EXPERT MEETING

An invited European Expert Group Meeting was held in Rotterdam that fo cused on research methods for hidden populations using illicit drugs. Experts from most European Community member states participated and co ntributed state-of-the-art presentations on various research methodolo gies. Attention was paid to the more quantitatively oriented research methods, such as surveys using questionnaires, interviews, and routine statistics from treatment and criminal justice as well as to more eth nographically oriented research methodologies. Recommendations were fo rmulated for the near future: research methodology needs to meet all t he classical methodological criteria, such as clear definitions, tests on reliability and validity, and clear sampling procedures. Interfaci ng methods is the key phrase. More quantitatively oriented methods, su ch as interviewing a random sample from a household survey, seem unsui table for research on illicit drugs, except perhaps for the use of can nabis. A multifactorial problem, such as illicit drug use and related problems, should be approached in a multidisciplinary way; that is, th e integration of different research methodologies. Comparability betwe en individual research projects in different countries requires not on ly technical adjustments of the data, but also a ''framework for commu nication.'' Data always need to be interpreted in terms of cultural co ntext. A similar framework should enhance studies with respect to comp arison of drug policies and their consequences in different cities or countries.