According to the Urban Institute's Crime Decline Forum report, the crack epidemic that hit poor urban areas in the mid-1980s was marked by an unprecedented rise in violence, particularly youth violence. After peaking in the 1990s, both the crack epidemic and rates of violence fell, but the decline of the crack epidemic alone can't fully account for the decrease in crime rates. Two factors that helped: "incidental" factors including shifting demographics, the economic boom and cultural changes within poor communities, and deliberate approaches such as new policing interventions, gun control strategies and increases in imprisonment.

This unique think/action tank engages all disciplines to study every form of substance abuse as it affects our society.

Most kids do not take drugs—and the number of those who do has been declining since the mid-1990s. Still, kids face risks from drugs, alcohol and tobacco—often because the "user" is an adult responsible for caring for them. Learn about successful prevention efforts and how stable and involved adults can make a difference in our Substance Abuse topic page.

Under a contract from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Tanglewood Research has developed the Prevention Knowledge Base, which now contains 1,000 summaries of prevention research articles.

Parents who want help in talking to their kids about drugs can find tips, answers to hard questions and links to parent-friendly organizations from this Web site from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Comprehensive tobacco prevention programs are far more effective in reducing tobacco use among youth than piecemeal prevention efforts, according to a report comparing these approaches across different communities in Texas.

In the book Adolescent Drug and Substance Abuse, psychologist Nikki Babbitt attempts to give guidance to parents struggling with a child's addiction. Reviewer Dr. Michael Newdow says the book offers more comfort than substance, but may serve as a useful introduction to a difficult problem.

The 2000 survey of drug use among eighth-, tenth- and twelfth-graders found that illicit drug use, including marijuana, generally remained unchanged in the last year, marking the fourth year in a row of level or declining use. The use of MDMA (ecstasy) increased, cigarette use declined, and use of alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, tranquilizers, hallucinogens other than LSD and opiates other than heroin remained unchanged.

Search for information on a particular drug of abuse, and review the latest public service announcements and press releases from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

The Partnership works to reduce the demand for drugs in America through media communication. Visit their site for the latest news and research, information for parents and teens, personal stories of recovery, treatment and prevention and more.