For Release December 18, 2003

SAVE-THE-DATE

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will convene a press conference, Friday, December 19, to announce the results of the 2003 Monitoring the Future Survey. The Monitoring the Future Survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, tracks illicit drug use and attitudes of 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students. It is one of three major surveys through which HHS monitors the nation's substance abuse patterns. Information from these surveys helps identify potential drug problem areas, assesses whether federal drug prevention efforts are effective, and ensures that resources are targeted to areas of greatest need.

Media are invited to attend. For more information or to arrange an interview, call the NIDA Press Office at 301-443-6245 or ONDCP at 202-395-6618.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports more than 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the rapid dissemination of research information and its implementation in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and further information on NIDA research can be found on the NIDA web site at http://www.drugabuse.gov.