Simulation and the Planning of Drug-User Services

Abstract

Public attention has recently been focused on the use and abuse of drugs in America. Community re sponses to the "drug problem" have often been haphazard and poorly planned. This paper proposes a systems framework for studying the provision of services to drug users. The phenomenon of pro viding services to drug users is conceived of as a flow system with four major structural components: (1) the drug-user population, (2) the nonuser popu lation, (3) the service component, and (4) the legal component. A computer model based on this conceptualization is described. The model is used in simulations of four typical strategies for dealing with the drug problem. The relative costs of the strategies and their effects on the size of the drug-user popula tion are discussed.