A longitudinal analysis of drug use reporting among Houston arrestees

Previous studies have indicated that certain illegal drugs are self-reporte d more readily than others. Respondents are typically more willing to repor t less serious drugs of abuse, such as marijuana, than they are "hard" drug s of abuse, such as cocaine. To date, however, no comprehensive analyses ha ve examined whether the willingness to self-report illegal drugs fluctuates temporally. In the current study, we examine marijuana-, cocaine-, and her oin-positive Houston arrestees surveyed through the Arrestee DrugAbuse Moni toring (ADAM) Program between 1990 and 1997. Using Kappa statistics, we exp lore the temporal variation of self-reported drug use. Little variation is identified. Policy implications are assessed in light of the current findin gs.