The Pulse Check, published by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), is a
series of reports on drug use across the nation. Its name captures its purpose: to provide a
quick sense of what is happening with regard to drug abuse and drug markets across the country.
In the four years the Pulse Check has been conducted, it has provided valuable descriptions of
the drug scene that inform researchers and policy makers in a timely manner. However, Pulse
Check is not a population-based survey and should not be considered a substitute for such
surveys.
The Pulse Check is conducted periodically by Dr. Dana Hunt of Abt Associates. Data are
collected through telephone conversations with 15-20 drug ethnographers and epidIiologists,
10-20 law enforcement agents, and 40-50 drug treatment providers all over the country. The
ethnographic and law enforcement sources are chosen to represent various areas of the country,
and are generally the same for each round of calls. Treatment providers are drawn randomly
from a national listing of small and large treatment programs. Thus, the Pulse Check provides
a blend of information and perspectives on the state of drug abuse in America.
The following sections present the findings of Pulse Check calls made in April, 1996.
Information is summarized in the text, and is presented in table form at the end of the report.
This issue also includes a special section on developments in the heroin trade.
