Resources

The various agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) produce important publications on the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs in the United States and their health effects. Reports of the surgeon general and special reports to Congress are published through this office. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency of HHS, produces the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, formerly titled the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. HHS also publishes the bimonthly Public Health Reports, the official journal of the U.S. Public Health Service. The journal is a helpful resource on health problems, including those caused by alcohol and tobacco. The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) has been a partner in the publication of Public Health Reports since 1999.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), a division of the National Institutes of Health, publishes the journal Alcohol Research and Health (formerly Alcohol Health and Research World). The journal contains current scholarly research on alcohol addiction issues. The NIAAA also publishes the quarterly bulletin Alcohol Alert, which disseminates research findings on alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

The National Center for Health Statistics, in its annual Health, United States, reports on all aspects of the nation's health, including tobacco- and alcohol-related illnesses and deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report has published numerous studies on the trends and health risks of smoking and drinking. Additionally, the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association provide many facts on cancer and heart disease.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for several helpful reports concerning tobacco. Its publications Tobacco Situation and Outlook Report and Tobacco: World Markets and Trade monitor tobacco production, consumption, sales, exports, and imports. The annual Agricultural Statistics provides valuable information about farming, and Food Consumption, Prices, and Expenditures compiles data on how the nation spends its consumer dollars. The Economic Research Service of the USDA also provides useful data.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor examines how people spend their income, including spending on cigarettes and alcohol.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation produces the annual Traffic Safety Facts, which includes data on alcohol-related accidents. The defunct U.S. Government Office of Technology Assessment's Technologies for Understanding and Preventing Substance Abuse and Addiction (Washington, D.C., 1994) provides a valuable overview of the causes and effects of drug abuse and addiction.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics monitors crime in the United States. Particularly helpful is its release Profile of Jail Inmates, 2002. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Crime in the United States provides arrest statistics for the United States. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Census Bureau provide alcohol and tobacco tax information.

The Congressional Research Service prepares reports on various issues for members and committees of Congress, including Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (1998): Overview and Issues for the 106th Congress (1999), Tobacco Price Support: An Overview of the Program (2004), and Tobacco Farmer Assistance (2004).

Other important annual surveys of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use in the United States are conducted by both public and private organizations. The CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance monitors not only alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, but also other risk behaviors, such as teenage sexual activity and weapons possession. The Monitoring the Future survey of substance abuse among students from middle school through college is prepared by the Institute for Social Research of the University of Michigan, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The PRIDE Questionnaire Report (National Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education), based on a survey of youth and parents, is produced by PRIDE Surveys in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The Wine Institute (San Francisco, California), the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Inc. (Washington, D.C.), and the Beer Institute (Washington, D.C.) are private trade organizations that track alcoholic beverage sales and consumption, as well as political and regulatory issues. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is a UK organization that publishes reviews concerned with the problems of smoking and the rights of nonsmokers. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (www.tobaccofreekids.org) provides information on tobacco-related federal, state, and global initiatives; cigarette taxes; tobacco advertisements; tobacco and smoking statistics; and tobacco-related special reports.

The Gallup Organization (Princeton, New Jersey) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Princeton, New Jersey), in the Youth Access to Alcohol Survey, provide important information about the attitudes and behaviors of the American public.

Information Plus sincerely thanks all of the organizations listed above for the valuable information they provide.