Research for Drugs

To make a drug-testing program successful and to minimize the cost of the program, the minimum number of tests that must be given in a specified period to identify a fixed percentage of drug users must be determined. This memorandum presents a Markov model that can be used to determine the number of tests that should be given. In addition, three applications of the model, showing how it can be used to analyze the drug-user population, are presented.

This is volume II of a two-volume report on the results of a study concerning alcohol and drug use in the Marine Corps. It contains eight appendixes presenting detailed data and analyses supporting the main text in Volume I. The questionnaire used in the survey is reproduced in appendix A; appendix B describes the survey methodology; appendix C contains tables giving the sizes of the populations and samples surveyed; appendix D addresses the accuracy of the results obtained from the survey; appendix E describes the composite measure, or index, developed for estimating the monthly consumption of alcoholic beverages; appendix F looks at the patterns of responses to the questionnaires and how consistent they were; appendix G contains tables showing the prevalence of alcohol and drug use by unit type, location, and pay grade; and appendix H shows the relationship between urinalysis test results and use of drugs at the time tested.