Question 1

Each of the data sources discussed in this chapter has both strengths and limitations.What are they? Is there a single "best" data source,or does that depend on the purposes to which you wish to put the data.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Each of the data sources discussed in...

Question 2

Discuss the sources available to the researcher and assess which one produces data on drug use that are most relevant to the questions the public wants answered.Which one or ones are most relevant to the policy analyst? To the criminologist?

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The answer of Discuss the sources available to the researcher...

Question 3

Judging from the available data sources,are one or more of these drugs "out of line" with their legal status,that is,legal drugs that are so dangerous that they need to be more tightly controlled,and illegal drugs that are so much less dangerous than the laws indicate,that a relaxation of the penalties seems warranted? Explain your reasoning.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Judging from the available data sources,are one...

Question 4

The samples of all of these data sources are huge,numbering in each case in the thousands.Would the data be as useful if their samples were smaller,say,just a few hundred? Explain why or why not.Several of these data sources are drawn exclusively from metropolitan areas,which means they do not represent-they are not a cross-section of-the American population as a whole.Does this limitation restrict their utility? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The samples of all of these data...

Question 5

If you were to present data on drug use to a legislature or legislative committee attempting to revise the drug laws,which data source or sources would you use? Why? Explain.

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The answer of If you were to present data on...

Question 6

Approximately one in 20 persons in the United States is arrested in a given year-clearly,an unrepresentative segment of the population.Yet drug experts use ADAM-II,a data source based exclusively on the drug testing of arrested offenders,as a means of understanding a dimension or aspect of drug use.Is this valid? What do the conclusions from ADAM-II's arrestees tell us about drug use,and what can't they tell us?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Approximately one in 20 persons in the...

Question 7

Does the fact that marijuana is the most frequent drug that arrestees test positive for indicate that it is "criminogenic" in its impact,that is,that it causes criminal behavior? Why or why not? If alcohol had been tested for in ADAM-II,would this change the picture? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Does the fact that marijuana is the...

Question 8

If you met someone,let's say,at a party,who asked you which of the drugs currently consumed in the United States is most harmful and dangerous,which one would you pick to answer his or her question? The least dangerous or harmful? Why? Justify your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of If you met someone,let's say,at a party,who...

Question 9

If you could design a study on drug use that would overcome whatever limitations or weaknesses that the available data sources have,what would this study entail?

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The answer of If you could design a study on...

Question 10

Consider the proportion of the population who,according to surveys,use opiates versus the number who die of an opiate-related overdose.Consider likewise the proportion of users of alcohol,marijuana,and cocaine relative to the contribution of these drugs to the mortality statistics.Which drugs stand out with respect to a high or low toxicity relative to the number of episodes of their use? Justify your conclusion by citing facts and figures.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Consider the proportion of the population who,according...

Quiz 6: Studying Drug Use