Do I Do What I Say? A Perspective on Self-Report Methods in Drug Dependence Epidemiology

The origins of drug dependence epidemiology can be traced to a large number of prenumerate and pre-ethnographic descriptions of drug-taking practices in various parts of the world, logged by world travelers, explorers, and merchants (e.g., see Sonnedecker, 1962). These descriptions are based on direct or indirect observation of drug users. They serve as important historical accounts of opium-taking, smoking of hashish and tobacco, coca leaf-chewing, and drinking of coffee, tea, chocolate, and alcoholic beverages.