About the National Drug Threat Survey
The NDIC annually conducts the National Drug Threat Survey (NDTS) as a means to
collect primary data on the threat posed by various illicit drugs in the United
States. A stratified random sample of nearly 3,500 state and local law
enforcement agencies is surveyed to produce national, regional, and state estimates
of various aspects of drug trafficking activities including the threat posed by
various drugs, the availability and production of illicit drugs, as well as the
role of street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs in drug trafficking activity.
The NDTS has been conducted annually, starting in 2000. The use of a nationally
representative sample was initiated in 2002 and state-level estimates were first
derived in 2003. Annual NDTS response rates have been close to, or exceeded, 90
percent every year since the inception of the state-level sample in 2003.
The statistical estimates derived from NDTS data are used in various NDIC
intelligence products, including the National Drug Threat Assessment produced
annually for use by policymakers. NDTS results have been provided in response
to requests for information from various federal, state, and local agencies. A
summary of NDTS results is planned for release later this year.
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