Reflections on the meaning of drug epidemics

Fluctuations in the use of many drugs atone time or another have been characterized as drug epidemics. The depiction of drug use as an epidemic, as in the recent cases of methamphetamine and crack use, is a proven mechanism for communicating that a problem exists, but such depictions are not without risk. When the public characterization of drug use as an epidemic represents more than its epidemiological meaning of 'unusually elevated occurrence,' panic is often substituted for reasoned action. Such declarations are likely to truncate objective investigation, generate fear rather than understanding, and stimulate reactive measures that exacerbate drug misuse. This article discusses the epidemiological origin and meaning of epidemic, documents how media headlines have sensationally depicted methamphetamine use, and recommends that alternative strategies for describing an increase in the incidence and prevalence of use may be more successful in directing researchers and policy makers toward effective strategies for reducing misuse.