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Abstract
A great deal of interest and debate has focused on the tendency of drug abusers to progress from one drug to another (e.g., the relationship between marijuana and heroin abuse). This paper presents methods and results from three types of analysis: (1) correlation between pairs of drugs, without regard for order of abuse; (2) measurement of the order in which pairs of drugs are abused; and (3) determination of what holistic patterns or sequences of drugs tend to be followed. Results indicate that patterns of abuse are not random, and that distinctions should be made between drugs on nonpharmacological grounds. The suggestion is made that the pattern of abuse may be useful in generating typologies of drug abusers.