By Alan Lytle
Lexington, KY – Kentuckians are being asked to take part in a national drug use survey to gather information on the prevalence of drug use in American Society. Jeff Jamar, branch manager for substance abuse treatment in the Kentucky Division of Behavioral Health, says a federal agency is gathering information in order to assess the nature and scope of substance abuse in America.
"It's completely voluntary if someone says I don't want to be interviewed, then they're not. The surveyor asks a number of different questions, some of which they will input the answer to on a computer, but others, when they ask a question the individual who is answering does the input onto the computer so that even the interviewer themselves doesn't know what their answer is. This information is critical in being able to set priorities, to identify trends and so we know that it's voluntary and we want to keep it voluntary; that's very important that people understand that they cannot be identified through this. We also urge people to answer the questions because it is so important for us to be able to address the issues of illicit drug use, and alcohol and tobacco use."
The survey is being conducted in some 200,000 households across the U-S on behalf of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.