Epidemiology of Inhalant Abuse - Archives - National Institute on ...

students and to be ineffectual (Tobler 1986). The major approaches in
prevention interventions have combined objective knowledge about drugs
and their effects with peer resistance skills, self-esteem, and other social
skills that help youth deal with developmental challenges. These skills
presumably help adolescents to avoid or resist use <strong>of</strong> substances ranging
from alcohol and tobacco to marijuana, cocaine, and inhalants. Still, it is
unknown whether omission <strong>of</strong> information about inhalants weakens the
impact <strong>of</strong> prevention programs in general or on inhalant abuse
specifically.
OVERVIEW OF POLICY OPTIONS
There is no articulated national or Federal approach to the inhalants
problem. Federal policy has evolved by omission or analogy, rather than
commission. The <strong>National</strong> Drug Control Strategy barely mentions
inhalants and contains no policy initiatives or recommendations specific
to inhalants. There are product and occupational safety agencies (CPSC,
FDA, OSHA, and EPA) with policies that address inhalant abuse only
indirectly. The nationwide Drug-Free Schools program has resulted in a
rapid proliferation <strong>of</strong> school-based prevention since it was passed in 1986
(Office <strong>of</strong> <strong>National</strong> Drug Control Policy 1993), but the Drug-Free
Schools and Communities Act does not address inhalants, and many <strong>of</strong>
the curricula being used by schools also leave out inhalants. Finally,
there has been virtually no research on treatment for inhalant abuse.
In contrast, States have been very active in promulgating statutory
initiatives against inhalants. These efforts, however, seem unlikely to
have had significant impacts. Most State efforts have been product or
supply reduction oriented, including criminalizing use <strong>of</strong> inhalants and
making business regulations designed to limit accessibility <strong>of</strong> products.
These policies have not been evaluated, but perhaps more importantly
they generally are not enforced. Few States have undertaken prevention
and treatment initiatives, such as the effort in Texas, but there is not even
anecdotal evidence <strong>of</strong> effectiveness.
In general, there is insufficient information about the effectiveness,
benefits, and costs <strong>of</strong> the four policy alternatives (i.e., change products;
restrict access to abused products; implement targeted prevention;
provide treatment) to make recommendations between the alternatives.
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