In 1995, the Research Triangle Institute completed a five-year study sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse called The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Drug Study (DC*MADS). The study focused on the nature and extent of drug abuse among diverse populations living in a single metropolitan area, focusing particularly on underrepresented populations such as the homeless, the institutionalized, and juvenile offenders along with populations that have been studied in more depth, such as persons living in households. The goal was to not only establish prevalence, correlates, and consequences of drug abuse, but to establish a research model for conducting other such studies.
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